Megan Arthurton of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District stands with her award after receiving the Irene Schoepfle Lifetime Achievement Award for Music at the 2026 OCMAA Awards. 
The entrance to the Samueli Theater at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts is shown before the start of the 2026 OCMAA Awards. 
Attendees greet one another in the lobby of the Samueli Theater before the start of the 2026 OCMAA Awards ceremony. 
Scott Fitzpatrick, arts coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education, addresses attendees during the 2026 OCMAA Awards ceremony. 
Dan Robbins, 2025 OCMAA Award recipient for secondary instrumental music from Saddleback Valley Unified School District, directs the La Paz Intermediate School string orchestra during a performance of “Spirit of ’76” at the 2026 OCMAA Awards. 
A student from La Paz Intermediate School performs during the 2026 OCMAA Awards at the Samueli Theater. 
Students from Godinez High School perform “Paciencia Y Fe” from In the Heights during the 2026 OCMAA Awards. The piece was presented by Rich Marting, 2025 recipient for secondary theatre from Santa Ana Unified School District. 
The Portola Singers perform “Measure Me, Sky” during the 2026 OCMAA Awards under the direction of Adrian Rangel-Sanchez, 2025 recipient for secondary vocal music from Irvine Unified School District. 
Autumn Garcia of the Huntington Beach Union High School District poses with her award after being recognized as the OCMAA Award recipient for Classified Employee at the 2026 ceremony. 
Debora Wondercheck receives her award on stage at the 2026 OCMAA Awards ceremony. 
Scott Farthing of Saddleback College holds his award after being recognized as the OCMAA Award recipient for Post-Secondary Arts Education Leader at the 2026 ceremony.
Quick look: Nearly 300 guests gathered March 4 at the Segerstrom Center of the Arts as the 2026 Orange County Music and Arts Administrators honored educators, advocates and community partners for advancing arts education across the county.
Nearly 300 educators, administrators, students and community partners filled the Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Samueli Theater on March 4 to celebrate excellence and leadership in arts education during the 2026 Orange County Music and Arts Administrators Awards.
Hosted by the Orange County Department of Education in partnership with Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the annual ceremony reached maximum capacity.
For more than 30 years, the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators — founded by OCDE — has united school districts and community arts leaders to recognize outstanding instruction and advocacy in dance, music, theater, visual arts and media arts. Awards also honor classroom teachers, classified employees, administrators and arts advocates whose work supports student growth.
“It is sometimes overwhelming to be surrounded by so many people who have dedicated their lives to lifting one another up through arts education,” said Scott Fitzpatrick, arts coordinator for OCDE. “There are moments when you pause and silently take note, marking a time in your mind that you know you will bring back many years from now to remind yourself of the purpose of your life or your career. The 2026 OCMAA Awards created that kind of moment for me — a special memory I will carry with me in the years ahead.”
Performances and student artwork spotlight shared arts community
The ceremony continued a long-standing tradition of inviting the previous year’s award recipients to return to the stage as performers. Dan Robbins, the 2025 honoree for secondary instrumental music from Saddleback Valley Unified School District, directed the La Paz Intermediate School string orchestra in “Spirit of ’76” by Richard Meyer.
Rich Marting, recognized in 2025 for secondary theatre from Santa Ana Unified School District, presented “Paciencia Y Fe” from In the Heights with students from Godinez High School, while Adrian Rangel-Sanchez, last year’s recipient for secondary vocal music from Irvine Unified School District, led the Portola Singers in a choral performance of “Measure Me, Sky” by Elaine Hagenberg.
Visual art was also featured prominently in the evening’s printed materials. “Touched by Time” by Camila Baez of the Tustin Unified School District, submitted by art teacher Samantha Squieri, was selected for this year’s nominee and award recipient certificates. “Celestial Divinity” by Penelope Coulston of Orange Unified School District, submitted by art teacher Kathy Flanagan-Rose, was chosen as the ceremony’s program cover artwork.
Throughout the evening, speakers emphasized servant leadership — recognizing individuals whose work centers on student opportunity and growth.
“After 28 years in education, I’ve learned this: the most powerful leaders in arts programs are rarely the loudest in the room,” said Brian Belski, Director of Arts Education for the Anaheim Union High School District. “Servant leadership in arts education means we start with a simple question: What do students need? Not what builds our résumé. Not what gets the headline. What helps them grow and become the best version of themselves.”
He added that such leaders “build stages they may never stand on” and measure success in student growth, confidence and belonging.
Among this year’s honorees was Megan Arthurton of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, recipient of the Irene Schoepfle Lifetime Achievement Award for Music, which recognizes a lasting contribution to music education in Orange County. The award is named for Irene Schoepfle, OCDE’s first music consultant, who served for four decades beginning in the early 1920s.
The evening also marked the first presentation of two new award categories: the OCMAA Award for Classified Employee, presented to Autumn Garcia of the Huntington Beach Union High School District, and the OCMAA Award for Post-Secondary Arts Education Leader, presented to Scott Farthing of Saddleback College.
Without further ado, here are the 2026 Orange County Music and Arts Administrators Award recipients:
- Lorena Tavares, Garden Grove Unified School District – Elementary Dance
- Leiana Volen, Fullerton Joint Union High School District – Secondary Dance
- Suzanne Fowler, Orange Unified School District – Digital and Media Arts Elementary
- Audra Ross, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District – Digital and Media Arts Secondary
- Christina Flynn, Anaheim Elementary School District – Instrumental Music Elementary
- Dr. Richard Perez, Capistrano Unified School District – Instrumental Music Secondary
- Esther Han, Magnolia School District – Vocal Music Elementary
- Miguel Chicas, Irvine Unified School District – Vocal Music Secondary
- Becca Voight, Irvine Unified School District – Theatre Elementary
- Christian Penuelas, Fullerton Joint Union High School District – Theatre Secondary
- Kimberly Fleming, Saddleback Valley Unified School District – Visual Art Elementary
- Melinda Moen, Anaheim Union High School District – Visual Art Secondary
- Kara Johnson, Saddleback Valley Unified School District – Arts in Special Education Award
- Amanda Mailman, Irvine Unified School District – Juliana McGrath Elementary Classroom Teacher Award
- Cama Stevens, Laguna Beach Unified School District – Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) Award
- Debora Wondercheck, Arts & Learning – Arts Advocate
- Katie Brown, Magnolia School District – Elementary Site Administrator
- Jerry Vlasic, Irvine Unified School District – Secondary Site Administrator
- Kelvin Okino, Irvine Unified School District – District Office Administrator
- Scott Farthing, Saddleback College – Post-Secondary Arts Education Leader
- Sabrina Skeels, Saddleback Valley Unified School District – OCMAA Administrator
- Autumn Garcia, Huntington Beach Union High School District – Classified Employee
- Megan Arthurton, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District – Irene Schoepfle Lifetime Achievement Award for Music
For more information or questions about OCMAA, visit OCDE’s website or contact coordinator Scott Fitzpatrick at stfitzpatrick@ocde.us.