New Irvine nonprofit school connects with Orange County’s arts community

IRVINE Orange County has its fair share of notable professional performing arts affiliations, proving that the creative community is alive and well. At least, that’s what representatives from Orange County Music and Dance are counting on.

The new performing arts school in Irvine, founded by Pick Up Stix creator and philanthropist Charlie Zhang, is positioned to be the only nonprofit community performing arts school of its kind in Orange County. It will rely on partnerships with existing performing arts organizations to provide the quality arts education it promotes, Zhang said.

“There is already an enormous talent in musical arts and dance instruction, so there is no logic in trying to do that again,” said Doug Freeman, CEO and executive chairman of Orange County Music and Dance (OCMD). “What we’re doing is bringing them together under one roof. I hope we can demonstrate how powerful synergism is.”

On Saturday, April 22, a grand opening will be held at the $10.7 million state-of-the art facility from 1 to 5 p.m. at 17620 Fitch Ave., Suite 160. The school has eight private music rooms, two large dance floors, a recording studio and a black box theater with a 21-foot LED screen — not to mention a fully-functioning Monkey Business café.

Programs offered by OCMD include private instruction in music and voice as well as classes in musical theater, acting, dance, exercise and public speaking.

The school aims to be a resource to Orange County arts organizations that are looking to expand their reach. So far, the list of partnering organizations includes Arts Orange County, the Pacific Symphony, the Orange County School of the Arts, The Wooden Floor, Southern California Children’s Chorus and 11 others, Freeman said.

Zhang, who came to the United States following his acceptance to a Pasadena music conservatory, said he has always been interested in music and believes it contributes greatly to a child’s education. With OCMD, he said he plans to give back to the creative community that first inspired him, and he hopes to use his entrepreneurial success with Pick Up Stix and other business efforts to support kids’ artistic pursuits and prevent the kind of financial obstacles he experienced in his early 20’s.

The idea for OCMD has been brewing for a number of years, Freeman said, but construction on the Irvine facility officially began in last year.The school opened in January.

This came as welcome news to many local arts organizations.

The Southern California Children’s Chorus, for example, has rented space from Orange Coast College for 15 years. But now director Lori Loftus and her husband John said they look forward to moving rehearsals to OCMD.

“We have dreamed of this sort of facility to exist,” John Loftus said. “For us, this is way more than re-locating. It’s a partnership of immense potential because it will allow our program to impact so many more lives.”

For other organizations like The Wooden Floor, a youth development program that supports the underserved community in Santa Ana through dance instruction and family services, the partnership with OCMD will work in a different way.

“In the future, we may work something out where a guest artist at the Wooden Floor teaches a master class at Orange County Music and Dance, or I can recommend my faculty to teach classes there,” said Dawn Reese, CEO and executive director of The Wooden Floor. “The way (OCMD) is set up, competition is not the goal. They are a convener that brings more focus to all of the great arts in the community.”

Additionally, the Pacific Symphony, which now shares office space with OCMD, will present an early childhood music program for newborns to age 6. This Pacific Symphony pilot program fulfills an overarching mission to create different centers of activity where the Pacific Symphony can engage with the community.

“We are exploring a number of possibilities as we embark on this partnership,” said Susan Kotses, vice president of education and community engagement for Pacific Symphony. “There are talks of chamber music for adults and children, music appreciation classes and a concert series in the black box. Mainly, we want to use our expertise and utilize our musicians to create these hubs of learning and work with new people in new places.”

Another recently confirmed development in OCMD’s offerings is the Santa Ana Pops Academy, a week-long course offered to students in the Santa Ana School District that combines guitar, voice and hip-hop dance. The academy will take place over the summer and culminate in a fully produced YouTube video for OCMD’s online channel.

At the helm of this YouTube channel is celebrity YouTube artist Alex Boyé, who has over 300 million views on YouTube. Boyé said he is happy to be a part of OCMD’s endeavor because he remembers how difficult it was to get his start in the recording business.

“The YouTube avenue is huge right now and I can’t wait to put some of this talent in front of the channel,” he said. “If I had these resources when I was younger I would’ve been dangerous. This is the way of the future.”

In addition to providing access to an extensive roster of internationally and nationally renowned instructors, OCMD also has plans to build a $5 million scholarship fund to help low-income families pay for classes.

“I hope to give Orange County kids the best teachers in the world and economics can’t get in the way of their ability,” Freeman said. “If we take away the impediments, then the magic will happen.”

Visitors at Saturday’s open house can expect to meet instructors and artistic partners as well as enjoy a showcase of performances by the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, American Idol contestants, the Southern California Children’s Chorus, the hearing impaired dance team of Amnon and Jill Damti and the students of Acting Academy for Kids.