PAGE 8
News
HOLIDAY 2014
OCSA Sweeps at National Conference
cont’d from pg. 1
the Arts (DSA) for the
Arts School Network
2014 National Conference. More than
200 schools attended
including many international campuses.
OCSA collaborated
with two schools—
DSA, and Duke Ellington School of the Arts
(DESA)—on selections
from the opera “Carmina Burana” presented at the Denver
Opera House.
Students from Classical and Contemporary Dance (CCD),
Classical Instrumental
Music (CIM), Classical Voice (CV), and
MONTAGE! participated.
OCSA “has been
part of the Arts
School Network for
the past 14 years,”
said Dr. Opacic,
adding, “Last year,
when we were doing
our conference, we
thought ‘wouldn’t
it be great to showcase our students?’”
“At first we were a
little bit overwhelmed
with the responsibility
of what this all was
going to entail, but
I think in the end, it
was a fabulous experience for all of us,”
said Creative Director Cindy Peca.
Along with CCD Director Steven Hyde,
Members of the multi-conservatory performance team that
performed at Denver in October
CIM Director Teren
Shaffer, CV Director
Dr. Maria Lazarova,
and MONTAGE! Choreographer Ryannlee
Davis, Pecca and her
colleagues helped
students prepare for
the conference. “To
have the kids meet
other like-minded
artists and individuals
around the country was invaluable,”
Pecca said.
Dr. Lazarova
agreed: “They not
only got to collaborate artistically, but
on their downtime
they kind of got to
hang out together
[and] get to know
each other.” Events
were organized by
DESA for the students,
including “impromptu” performances by
other schools.
Senior Nate Johnson (CIM) detailed a
dance-off that broke
out among the different schools. “Being
one of the four dancers ... was one of the
best memories of my
five years at OCSA.”
Johnson pointed
out, “not only did we
win, we won against
[their] dance majors.”
Dr. Lazarova continued, “I think we
showed the best of
OCSA. I thought we
came in very strong
and showed how
professional our students are, how talented they are, how
polished they are,
and we were also
able to take away
from other schools.”
Mr. Shaffer praised
the event: “It was
great! It was really
interesting seeing our
students interact with
their peers who were
doing the same kind
of things but from
different countries. I
do really hope that
it’s something we do
again in the future.”
Johnson also lauded the trip, saying,
“Playing ‘Carmina
Burana’ was one of
my favorite performances ever and
being around kids
from two other arts
schools was really inspiring. They were all
really nice and chill.”
Founded in 1981,
the Arts School Network is an organization dedicated to
guiding art school
leaders with resources and networking. During the last
12 years of OCSA’s
membership, Dr.
Opacic has served
on the executive
board, including the
position of president.