From our Artistic Director:

Dear SOCSA Family –

This newsletter comes to you as we are half-way through another exciting

year in SOCSA, full of entertaining and educational programs. In this edition

you will find a re-cap of our first semester’s activities and a look ahead at our

very busy and challenging second semester. SOCSA owes a huge debt of

gratitude to the Friends of SOCSA Booster Club, which has taken the reins

of our fund-raising efforts and served exquisitely in raising our public profile

and honoring each and every faculty member of our Academy. Every

month each one of our departments has received a much-needed infusion of

funds courtesy of the Friends of SOCSA.

Please read our 2nd semester calendar carefully, so you won’t miss a single

great event. Some dates have changed and some additions have been made.

Our students, faculty, coaches and the many parent volunteers are excited to

be involved in this outstanding program, and we hope that you are too!

Ray Woods—Artistic Director, SOCSA

Second Semester Happenings

Jan. 28-30 SOCSA Dance Concert, 7pm Porthole

Feb. 3 MTCA Show, 7pm Porthole

Feb. 5-7 MTCA Competition

Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27 Opera Night Workshop 9am-12 noon

Feb. 6 Master Class-Ira Raibon,1-3 pm Porthole

Feb. 10 Top 40’s Night, 7pm Porthole

Feb. 18-20 “The Bourgeois Gentleman”, 7pm Porthole

Feb. 24 Oldies Night, 7pm Porthole

Feb. 29 SOCSA Auditions-Vocal, Instrumental,

Drama 3-6 pm

March 3-5 “Top Girls”, 7pm Porthole

March 4 Mt. Sac Festival (Blue Lantern)

March 5 Honor Choir Concert (Vocal Ensemble)

March 5, 6 Festival of Whales

March 5, 12, 19 Opera Night Workshops

March 11 Show Choir Night, 7pm Porthole

March 12-13 Festival of Whales

March 18, 19 Fullerton Festival (Theater Students)

March 19 Opera Night Preview, 7 pm Porthole

March 20 Opera Gala, 5 pm SOKA Porthole

March 22 Opera Night at Casa Romantica

March 23 Freshman Day, 3:30 pm

March 24 Art in Motion: SOCSA Dance, 7pm

Porthole

March 25 Improv Show 3:30pm

March 28 SOCSA auditions-Dance 3-9 pm

March 29 Freshman One-Acts, 7pm Porthole

March 30 Sophomore One-Acts, 7 pm Porthole

April 1-3 ITS Festival (Theater Students)

April 6-10 Choir Trip—Boston

April 13 SOCSA Social, 5-7pm

April 20-23 “Gypsy”, Porthole, 7pm

April 24 “Gypsy”, Porthole, 1pm

April 25 SOCSA auditions-Vocal, Instrumental,

Drama 3-6pm

April 26 Showcase auditions, 3:00-6:00 Porthole

April 29 Jazz Night, 7pm, Porthole

May 12-14 “The Great Gatsby”, 7pm Porthole

May 18 Spring Choral Concert, 7pm TBA

May 19 Spring Band/Orch Concert, 7pm Porthole

May 22 Cappies Gala

May 22 Instrumental Awards, 11am DHHS Mall

May 23 Vocal Awards, 6pm SJC Community Center

May 31 Fony’s, 6pm Porthole

June 3 Spring Art Show, 6-8pm, Dana Hills Mall

June 4 Showcase, Capistrano Valley HS

June 9 Graduation

SOCSA Dance The SOCSA Dance program has enjoyed tremendous success during the

Fall Semester, delighting audiences with stunning routines and creative,

dynamic choreography. Dance Production re-created the stories of Dr.

Seuss during the DHHS Homecoming game. They were also featured in

Broadway Night, as seniors Avery Rissling, Emily Forster, and Megan

Young danced to “Live in Living Color, and Emily joined junior Katie

Kivinski in “Wish I Were Here”. Dance Production was at it again

when they honored our veterans by performing a great swing number,

Duke Ellington’s “It Ain’t Got That Swing” at the Honor the Valor football

game. During our welcome-back DHHS pep rally the production team

presented a very creative piece entitled “Tetris”. The audience was awe-

struck as the performers danced their way through alternating patterns of

ballet and hip-hop. In January, Dance Production and Dance Ensemble

combined to present “dystorshün” their annual Dance Concert. For

three sold-out nights they performed over 50 numbers, including tap, jazz,

contemporary, partnering, ballet and hip-hop. This was an experience

nobody will forget, as they touched on every genre of music with creative,

spectacular lighting and electrifying, inspiring dance numbers.

South Orange County School of the Arts at Dana Hills High School

Mid-Year Newsletter — January 2016

SOCSA Dance Production Team, one of our busiest and most sought-after performance

ensembles!

Avery Rissling, with full orchestra

and choir, interprets the Hebrew

prayer “Sim Shalom”, at the annual

Holiday Concert.

President’s Corner—Friends of SOCSA

Hello Friends!

We are midway through the school year which means we are

seeing the results of the hard work, time and effort every single

person has made in support of the Friends of SOCSA Booster

Club and the SOCSA program! We have accomplished so many

remarkable things and I am so proud to see how we have come

together to make something very special happen. We have found

our stride and we’ve had FUN doing it!

Friends of SOCSA set a goal of raising $150,000 for the SOCSA

academy. I am proud to let you knowl you that, including registra-

tion donations, creative fundraising, community fundraising, and

corporate sponsorships we have raised 69% of our goal! We

know that with your continued support we can exceed our goal

and make the SOCSA academy fully funded for future success.

Did you know that Friends of SOCSA is now officially a federally

recognized 501c3 foundation? This was one of our primary objec-

tives when we started our booster club, and we are thrilled to

have accomplished this well ahead of our projected timeline. You

can donate anytime by using our crowd funding efforts:

https://friends-of-socsa.cheddarup.com

In addition to gratefully receiving your financial support, Friends

of SOCSA has been working tirelessly to cultivate new fundraising

partners. The FOS team, along with Mr. Woods and Mr. Wade,

were in attendance at the January convention of the National

Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim. We are now thrilled

to be the only high school in Orange County that was chosen as a

NAMM Foundation partner. We now have a very unique oppor-

tunity to connect with potential donors.

I am truly honored to be a part of Friends of SOCSA. This en-

deavor has been a labor of love and I am incredibly proud of what

we have accomplished. We welcome you to join us as we begin

planning for the 2016/2017 school year. We are so grateful to call

you a Friend of SOCSA.

All the best,

Pia Patrick - President, Friends of SOCSA Booster Club

Page 2 South Orange County School of the Arts

We have raised 69% of our goal! We know that with your continued support we can exceed our goal and make the SOCSA academy fully funded for future success.

Drama/Musical Theater Happenings

In September, Auditions and rehearsals began for "Little

Shop of Horrors" and were a hit from the start. Our musi-

cal theater students performed selections from musicals at

South Coast Plaza as part of their Festival of Children week.

SOCSA Picnic had a great representation from the theater

group! We played fun ensemble building games, ate deli-

cious food from our potluck, and met friends - new and old!

Our Cappies team had their orientation and training that

set them up for a marvelous year of reviewing and celebrat-

ing high school performances all over Orange County. The

SOCSA retreat was huge success with emphasis on reading

sheet music, sight-singing, costume building, improvisation,

and preparing for Broadway Night. Then, in October, our

theater department hosted a very successful Broadway

Workshop Series featuring master teachers from Broadway

and regional theater. Senior Siena Brown directed a full

length play, "A Wrinkle in Time". Her production debuted

with rave reviews and had many students excited about the

full year of theatre to come! SOCSA Broadway Night was

a huge success! Featuring over 200 performers and many

selections from Broadway musicals, it was a thrilling evening

of song, music, and dance! Theater hosted a movie night to

get our students into the Halloween mood with, "A Night-

mare Before Christmas". Many students came out and en-

joyed pizza, popcorn, and a movie with friends! November

saw an outstanding production of "A Piece of My Heart"

right after Veteran's Day, providing our students with a

close look at the reality of war, and its aftermath. The cast

and crew also performed community service by helping The

Chance Theatre (in Anaheim) host a performance featuring

Veterans from WW2, Vietnam , Korea, and Afghanistan

Wars. Our Drama and Thespian Clubs paired up to write

letters to our servicemen and women. “Little Shop of

Horrors” opened to roaring crowds in December! A

fantastical, campy musical that shows how far greed can

take a person, it ran for five wonderful performances to

“ A Piece of My Heart” cast members displayed a wide range of emotions in this powerful performance.

Keeran Reidling, Sonal Mehta, Pia Patrick & Lisa

Wright, representing SOCSA at the January,

2016 NAMM convention in Anaheim.

Page 3 South Orange County School of the Arts

Drama/Musical Theater (continued)

In “Little Shop of Horrors”, the shoop girls (L to R Sophie Lindborg, Ashley Patrick, and Medora Zani) serenade Seymour

(Mitchel Csermak).

2016-2017 SOCSA Main Stage Season

Thoroughly Modern Millie (Summer)

Mousetrap (Fall Play)

The Sound of Music (Fall Musical)

Macbeth (Spring Play)

Shrek, the Musical (Spring Musical)

Our vocal music program had a very productive and dynamic

first semester, and we look forward to more of the same this

semester. The annual summer Vocal Jazz Workshop was a big

success, concluding with a great concert on Friday night, August

21st. Our Fall Concert in October featured all of our choirs,

and we all participated with great enthusiasm in the Holiday

Concert in December. Many vocal students participated in

the wonderful Broadway Workshops and more were featured

in the wildly successful “Little Shop of Horrors”, In December

we completed over 40 community performances and caroling

gigs, raising over $9,000.00 in the process.

Moving forward we are very excited about the revamped

Opera Night Workshops and Concerts, with a complete new

curriculum designed by Opera master teacher Linda Rose

Linnebach. New coaches and opera specialists are participating

thisear, resulting in a fast-paced, knowledge-filled experience

each Saturday morning from January 9th to March 19th. Look

for more information about Opera Night elsewhere in this

newsletter. Oldies Night, “Singin’ the Blues, Brother”, happens

on February 24th (not the 26th), and promises to be another fun-

filled evening of great music, selected by the students them-

selves. In April choir students will travel to Boston for an

exciting performance/clinic tour, complete with a visit to the

site of the Salem witch trials and an opportunity to see “The

Sound of Music” at the beautiful Boston Opera House. The

Blue Lantern Vocal Jazz Choir will again participate in Mt. San

Antonio College’s Vocal Jazz Workshop on March 4th, and the

SOCSA Madrigals will be a part of the CUSD Honor Choir on

March 5th. Jazz Night, presented by the vocal and instrumental

groups will be presented on April 29th.

More festival opportunities will be announced soon, and we

look forward to our Spring Concert on May 18th and the

SOCSA Showcase on June 4th.

Vocal Music Happenings

major audiences and Macy's judges who will adjudicate our show

with all other orange county high schools and celebrate high

school theater in May. To celebrate the holiday season, SOCSA

presented the annual Holiday Concert, with skits performed by

our Drama classes. Just before the holiday break, break, our

Drama Club's Improv Team gave their first show of the year—

to a packed house! You don’t want to miss the next Improv

Show! Finally, January opened with senior Julianna Guthary

directing "A Very Potter Musical", aided by Musical Director

Katie Kivinski. This show was a huge success that brought out

the die-hard Harry Potter fans! The parent producers even

helped supply Butterbeer! Then, "Gypsy" auditions brought out

a terrific showing of talented students, and the cast will begin

rehearsals in February for this wonderful spring production.

“Top 40 Hits” is a new show we've added to our calendar this

year to help showcase our students who are exploring the pop

style of today. Auditions were held and the performance was

on February 10th! At the CETA So. California High School The-

ater Festival, 14 of our students were awarded for their artistry

on stage, in design, or back stage in "A Piece of My Heart".

Members of the Blue

Lantern Jazz Choir

pose proudly at the

entrance to the

Lantern District in

downtown Dana

Point, appropriately

at the corner of Blue

Lantern and Del

Prado. The group

performed in the

community over 15

times in December

alone!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

Masquerade SOCSA Showcase—June 4, 2016

Capistrano Valley High School Theater

Psst!! Auditions are April 26th

Instrumental Music

The Marching Band is preparing for the CUSD Area Concert

on Feb 23rd. The band and orchestras of Dana Hills will per-

form in a concert with all of the elementary and middle school

ensembles from the local area. This is a major recruiting event

for the SOCSA instrumental music program and allows parents

and students to witness the continued importance of music

education and the impact it has on students as they develop

their art. The first semester concludes with Festivals and Music

Juries, and finals. All music classes will perform for the CUSD

music festival at San Juan Hills High School in March. We are all

busy preparing music for this festival and our fall Juries in which

the students perform for a panel of music judges.

Color Guard and Drum Line

These independent performance ensembles will compete in

southern California and develop a themed show that helps de-

velop their talent and exposure to the ever increasing level of

expertise that they need to perform.

Jazz Band

The jazz band may become two bands as we continue to enroll

new students into our program. We have the Saddleback Jazz

Day to prepare for in February, Oldies Night and Jazz night to

name a few. This year collaborating with the vocal jazz ensem-

ble is proving to be an amazing opportunity for the students.

Orchestra

The orchestras had a music retreat in December which was a

great opportunity for the students to play music and have fun

with their fellow musicians. We have more opportunities to

look forward to in the spring with a performance at Disneyland

for all ensembles, a possible spring trip and other social events.

Page 4 South Orange County School of the Arts

Visual Arts This past year 36 Digital Photography Students attended a field study

to the San Diego Zoo on October 28th, 2015. The purpose of the

study was for students to have a day dedicated to photographing

animals, plants, people and more while honing their photography

skills using their new cameras. Students were given instructions on

how to best photograph animals at the Zoo. The trip was a success,

students a chance to get out of the classroom and create art.

The annual SOCSA Visual Arts Festival of Whales Harbor Field

Study took place on Friday, January 8, 2016. Visual art students from

Drawing and Painting, Multimedia Design, AP Studio Art:2D, Digital

Photography and Ceramics went whale watching aboard the Dana

Pride and Capt. Dave’s catamaran Manute’a. Senior Shaun Phaneuf

attached his GoPro camera to an aluminum rod and recorded great

underwater video and still footage during the trip.

After the whale watching cruise, students toured the Ocean Institute

and the tall ship Pilgrim. During the day, students photographed

whales, dolphins, other marine life and coastal scenery at Dana Point

Harbor. These photos will serve as wonderful inspiration for the

beautiful artwork students will create for the Festival of Whales Art

in the Park event on March 12-13, 2016.

Later in the spring semester, students from Digital Photography,

Multimedia Design and AP Studio Art will be using their whale pho-

tographs to design the new logo for the 2017 Festival of Whales.

This year, Camden Butterworth’s logo design (seen below) was

chosen for the 2016 Festival. Camden and her winning logo design

were featured in a Dana Point Times article in November.

http://www.danapointtimes.com/full-steam-ahead-for-festival-of-

whales/

Second Semester Happenings

February 16th, 2016—Getty Field study

45 students from Ms. Hribar-Kelly and Ms. Snow’s visual art courses

will be attending a field study to Los Angeles. On this trip students

will view exhibits at the Getty Museum as well as photograph the

architecture and gardens. Students will then eat lunch on the UCLA

campus in the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden. Following

lunch, students will go to the Hammer Museum to view current art

and photography exhibits.

March 12 & 13 (10 AM – 5 PM)Festival of Whales

“Art in the Park” event – SOCSA Visual Arts

Visual art Students from the various art classes on campus (Digital

Photo, Multimedia Design, Drawing and Painting, AP Studio Art:2D,

and Ceramics), along with local artists, will be displaying a variety of

works on the grassy areas at the corner of Island Way and Dana

Point Harbor Drive. Come out to see and purchase the beautiful

artwork and show support for our SOCSA program.

Digital Photography students Photo credit: Shaun Phaneuf

SOCSA Band students rehearse

with coach Anibal Seminario

in preparation for the spring

festival season (above).

The extensive use of coaches,

workshops, and master classes

makes up an important part of

the enhanced opportunities for

arts education given to our

young artists at SOCSA. The

tireless volunteer efforts of our

parents and the Friends of

SOCSA are what make all this

possible!