{"id":315518,"date":"2026-05-14T15:25:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/315518\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T15:25:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:25:22","slug":"artist-of-the-year-2026-for-vocal-music-lexie-shehab-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/315518\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist of the Year 2026 for vocal music: Lexie Shehab \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Genuine.<\/p>\n

Beautiful phrasing.<\/p>\n

A lot of joy.<\/p>\n

All were descriptions applied to Lexie Shehab and her performance of two songs, accompanied by a pianist.<\/p>\n

She started with Sarah Vaughan\u2019s swinging take on Leonard Bernstein\u2019s \u201cI Feel Pretty\u201d from \u201cWest Side Story.\u201d Next up, Billy Strayhorn\u2019s \u201cLush Life.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she grew up mostly enjoying and vocalizing soul songs, Shehab told the judges she chose to perform these two pieces to demonstrate her commitment to a different musical genre: jazz.<\/p>\n

\"Lexie<\/p>\n

Lexie Shehab of Newport Beach, a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lexie<\/p>\n

Lexie Shehab of Newport Beach, a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lexie<\/p>\n

Lexie Shehab of Newport Beach, a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lexie<\/p>\n

Lexie Shehab of Newport Beach, a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lexie<\/p>\n

Lexie Shehab of Newport Beach, a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lexie<\/p>\n

Lexie Shehab of Newport Beach, a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lexie<\/p>\n

Lexie Shehab of Newport Beach, a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 7<\/p>\n

Lexie Shehab of Newport Beach, a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Oh, she still sings soul and pop, Shehab, 17, said, but added that \u201cI love jazz for its complexity and how it challenges me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shehab not only rose to the challenge but soared to the top, winning the Artist of the Year program\u2019s Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour voice and phrasing are just terrific,\u201d Ruth Mason, director of ticket services at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, told Shehab.<\/p>\n

Or, as Mason, a jazz enthusiast, said to the other judges in words befitting the genre, \u201cThat chick does jazz.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was something else the judges took note of too, something that had nothing to do with Shehab\u2019s singing.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was the only one to shout out her accompanist,\u201d said MJ Salanga, an Artist of the Year instrumental music semifinalist in 2021 who now works as a copywriter at Segerstrom.<\/p>\n

Shehab\u2019s professionalism has been long in the making.<\/p>\n

She began vocal lessons at the age of 3: \u201cIt had started out as me tagging along on my sister\u2019s music lessons, and after I begged for some of my own, I started on my music journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

She fell in love with jazz once she started middle school at Orange County School of the Arts, gravitating toward the students studying and performing jazz music.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese unexpected friendships ended up changing my perspective on my future and convinced me to start pursuing the wonderful world of jazz,\u201d Shehab wrote in her nominee statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing introduced to jazz was one of the best things to happen to me, as I had finally found the musical niche I had been looking for and had felt more passionate than I had ever felt about music.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was the only performer among the 16 semifinalists to specialize in jazz vocals.<\/p>\n

Shehab, a junior, has another year to go at OCSA. She plans to attend a music conservatory after she graduates high school.<\/p>\n

And her favorite jazz artist of all time?\u00a0 A true original: Lillie Mae Jones, otherwise known as Betty Carter \u2014 a virtuoso of improvisation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how many risks she takes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vocal music finalists<\/p>\n

In addition to Artist of the Year, the judges also selected three finalists from the 16 vocalists who showcased classical, opera, musical theater, pop, soul, and jazz singing.<\/p>\n

\"Isabel<\/p>\n

Isabel Calvo of Orange, a senior studying under private instructor Melissa Lyons Caldretti, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Isabel<\/p>\n

Isabel Calvo of Orange, a senior studying under private instructor Melissa Lyons Caldretti, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Isabel<\/p>\n

Isabel Calvo of Orange, a senior studying under private instructor Melissa Lyons Caldretti, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Isabel Calvo of Orange, a senior studying under private instructor Melissa Lyons Caldretti, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Isabel Calvo: This 18-year-old sure has been busy the past three years. In addition to performing in multiple theatrical productions for Fullerton Union High and Messiah Fine Arts Ministry, Calvo served on technical crews doing costumes, hair and makeup. She also participated in the UCLA Summer Vocal Intensive and the Talon Academy of Performing Arts. Oh, and she was an Artist of the Year semifinalist for theater in 2025.<\/p>\n

Measuring her growth as an artist, she declared that this year was just going to be fun: \u201cI don\u2019t have anything to prove but I have a lot to share.\u201d She showcased her classical, operatic talents and reached back to perform a piece from Mozart\u2019s 19th century \u201cDer Schauspieldirektor\u201d and then something more recent from the 2005 Tony Award winning \u201cLight in the Piazza.\u201d She achieved \u201cbeautiful storytelling\u201d in both pieces, said judge Sarah-Nicole Carter, a mezzo-soprano and voice teacher who performs with and serves as operations manager for Lyric Opera of Orange County.<\/p>\n

Calvo plans a double major for college, in classical voice and psychology. Someday she\u2019d like to be a musical therapist, working with children who are neurodivergent.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Libby<\/p>\n

Libby Rue of Ladera Ranch, a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Libby<\/p>\n

Libby Rue of Ladera Ranch, a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Libby<\/p>\n

Libby Rue of Ladera Ranch, a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Libby Rue of Ladera Ranch, a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Libby Rue: She describes traveling to New York City for the first time when she was 8 and attending a performance of \u201cMatilda the Musical.\u201d\u00a0 Rue walked away with the message that \u201ceven if you are little you can do a lot.\u201d Bolt of lightning, she said. \u201cI knew this is what I was meant to do.\u201d She told her mom as much as they left the theater, forecasting how six months later she would land the part of Matilda at a small children\u2019s theater near home.<\/p>\n

Rue also has demonstrated her can-do quality by creating the You Are Enough Cabaret series for other teens to share and celebrate their art in a supportive environment. It\u2019s not about competition, she said, but connection. Held quarterly in Laguna Beach, the cabaret series has featured more than 30 invited performers from over a dozen high schools. Rue, 17, informed the judges that she was in the midst of organizing the seventh such cabaret, with a pop rock theme, for May.<\/p>\n

A junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High, Rue plans to partner with other high schools as she continues the cabaret series.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Rebecca<\/p>\n

Rebecca Lilliana Vu of Orange, a senior at Santa Ana High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Rebecca<\/p>\n

Rebecca Lilliana Vu of Orange, a senior at Santa Ana High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Rebecca<\/p>\n

Rebecca Lilliana Vu of Orange, a senior at Santa Ana High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Rebecca Lilliana Vu of Orange, a senior at Santa Ana High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

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Rebecca Lilliana Vu: In third grade, Vu sang for her classmates during recess. She already knew she wanted to be a performer. One of her teachers witnessed a playground performance and told Vu she\u2019d blossom into a wonderful singer.<\/p>\n

She joined the Santa Ana High girls choir as a freshman, but struggled initially. \u201cI wasn\u2019t that good, to be honest.\u201d Extra work with the school pianist paid off. Vu also joined the school\u2019s chamber singers and jazz choir. A mezzo soprano, her specialty is classical and art songs. In 2025, schoolmates and teachers encouraged Vu to audition for Cal State Fullerton\u2019s quartet festival master class, open to three girls and three boys. She was selected. At the end of the master class, she received another honor as one of three soloists chosen from the group to perform at the CSUF Quartet Festival. \u201cThis was my biggest changing point,\u201d Vu, 17, wrote in her Artist of the Year nominee statement, \u201cand gave me hope that I will succeed in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

CSUF will play another big role in her future: She told the judges she had just been accepted for vocal performance.<\/p>\n

The Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music<\/p>\n

This vocal music award is sponsored by the Pacific Chorale.<\/p>\n

The Artist of the Year receives $500 and two framed awards \u2014 one to take home, and one to hang at school. Finalists receive $100.<\/p>\n

In addition, Pacific Chorale is providing:<\/p>\n

A private coaching session with a Pacific Chorale member for the top four students
\nComplimentary tickets to Pacific Chorale concerts for all 16 semifinalists
\nA scholarship to attend the Pacific Chorale summer camp for all 121 nominees<\/p>\n

The judges<\/p>\n

Special thanks to the judges who helped evaluate students this year.<\/p>\n

The judges who evaluated the 220 theater nominees and chose the 16 semifinalists were:<\/p>\n

Melissa Lyons Caldretti, private voice theacher
\nJill DeWeese, Buena Park High School
\nAaron Duncan-Schwartz, Suny Hills High School
\nRobyn Frey-Monell, Rosary Academy
\nChris Gomez, Santa Margarita Catholic High School
\nMolly Gooch, Brea Olinda High School
\nHeide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
\nJennifer Kheriaty, JSerra Catholic High School
\nMilena Kitic, MK Vocal Studio
\nAdela Kwan, St. Margaret\u2019s Episcopal School
\nLaura Lodin, Beckman High School
\nMarlon Santizo, El Dorado High School
\nMadeline Yakell, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts<\/p>\n

The judges who interviewed the semifinalists and chose the three finalists and the Artist of the Year were:<\/p>\n

Ryan Brown, Dir. of Choral Activities, Chapman University
\nSarah-Nicole Carter, Mezzo-soprano, Lyric Opera OC
\nRhett M. Del Campo, President and CEO, Pacific Chorale
\nScott Hedgecock, Board Member, National Assoc. for Music Education
\nHeide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
\nRuth Mason, Ticket Services, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
\nAnne McNiff-Gaeta, Ticket Services, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
\nMJ Salanga, Copywriter, Segerstrom Center for the Arts (2021 Artist of the Year semifinalist)
\nJennifer Siglin, Marketing, Segerstrom Center for the Arts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Genuine. Beautiful phrasing. A lot of joy. All were descriptions applied to Lexie Shehab and her performance of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,101016,420],"class_list":["post-315518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-artist-of-the-year","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}