ORANGE COUNTY FAIR – Orange County Lifestyle and Event Photographer, Cindy Meadors
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a huge proponent of Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts. Music and the arts, precisely performing arts, seems to have become a dying breed amongst public schools in the last few decades. I remember going to high school and you could take an abundance of music classes from vocals to whatever instrument you were interested in learning. Nowadays, with budget cuts and state deficits (my state being the worst in the nation!) there’s not much available to today’s students in the way of music and performing arts. The city I live in and the high school in which my kids attend just happens to have THE BEST performing arts program in the county, and perhaps even in the state. I would venture to say it’s one of the best in the nation. Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts is a magnet program of Huntington Beach High School and has been in existence since 1993. The high school students who were fortunate to have been accepted in this program receive a world-class musical education and put on performances in which audience after audience walks away in disbelief that the students are in high school. I have stood in the aisles and listened to people make comments about the caliber of talent, it’s one of those things you must see for yourself to believe. In addition to Music Media Entertainment and Technology (MMET), APA has a Musical Theater, Dance, Acting, Dramatic Production, Costume Design, Technical Theater, Orchestra and Liberal Arts program offered. Auditions are held every year around February for the following school year. The Musical Theater department took home so many awards this past year for their production of “Singing’ in the Rain” that it will take another blog entry just to write all of them. It was beyond fantastic, it was extraordinary as was the talent that was on one stage in one show. Next season’s schedule and dates will soon be announced. Please check back here soon for upcoming dates.
The Orange County Fair got a real treat, a 4 1/2 hour show filled with music from today, the 70′s and some classics from Paul McCartney’s “Wings over America” tour. It was a culmination of songs played during the last school year at various shows and all those who attended loved every minute of it. I know I did!!!! I love all of these kids and am proud of every single one of them. Much thanks to Time Warner Cable for their sponsorship of the event and to Mr. Jamie Knight, the head of MMET, Mike Simmons, Mike Wilson and Nicole Kubis for putting it all together. As always, YOU KIDS ROCKED THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!
