Orange County Music & Dance Continues to Amplify Area Cultural Resources with Launch of College-Preparatory, Pre-Professional Conservatory Program for High Schoolers

CEO Ralph Opacic Assembles World-Class Faculty for Initiative To Expand Offerings with Wide Accessibility for Families and Students

IRVINE, Calif., May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Orange County Music & Dance, Southern California’s premier pre-K to 12 performing arts school dedicated to cultivating the whole child through a rigorous and programmatic path to mastery, has launched a new conservatory-level program encompassing the disciplines of music and dance.

The initiative further expands the after-school program’s ongoing position as one of the leading arts education institutions in the county, offering a wide range of programs tailored to meet the goals of a variety of students.

The OC Music & Dance Conservatory is a college-preparatory, pre-professional training program designed for dedicated students in grades 9–12 who are performing at an intermediate to advanced level. Students engage in a comprehensive curriculum that balances individual growth with collaborative experience. Each track is designed to reflect real-world industry expectations while maintaining a strong foundation in technique, performance quality and artistic integrity.

“We’re very excited to be creating this new conservatory-level program to serve young people in Southern California,” said Dr. Ralph Opacic, President and CEO of Orange County Music & Dance and Founder of the nationally recognized Orange County School of the Arts and California School of the Arts San Gabriel Valley. “It represents a significant advance in our quest to create an unmatched cultural resource for the community. We’ve assembled an amazing team of renowned educators to fulfill our students’ aspirations for creative expression, excellence and the skills for success.”

Assembled and led by Opacic, the Orange County Music & Dance Conservatory faculty features highly experienced colleagues from the Orange County School of the Arts. Examples include Dr. Nicholaus Yee, Coordinator of Strings and Orchestra for eight years; Joey Ancona, Director at Orange County School of the Arts and California School of the Arts San Gabriel for 20 years; Steven B. Hyde, Director of the Classical and Contemporary Dance Conservatory for 20 years; and Jim Kolb, M.A., Dance Chair for 32 years.

Conservatory faculty have achieved noteworthy milestones through high levels of training and education as well as engagements with major symphony orchestras, international ensembles, and accompanist roles for noted artists as well as on television, film and stage.

Music Conservatory

In the Music Conservatory, students choose a primary focus in Classical, Jazz, Popular Music, Choral/Vocal, Musical Theatre or World Music studies. The experience includes specialized group classes, ensemble participation, musicianship and theory training, performance opportunities, and weekly private instruction.

Artistic team leaders in the Music Conservatory are Dr. Roger Przytulski and Yee (Classical), Dan Reckard and Ron Kobayashi (Jazz), Chloe Watson and Nick Stone (Popular Music), Dr. Brian Dehn (Choral/Vocal), Ancona (Musical Theatre), and Jiryis Ballan (World Music).

Dance Conservatory

The Dance Conservatory spans Classical Dance and Commercial Dance genres. This program offers specialized technique classes, rehearsal and repertoire-based training, conditioning and cross-training, performance opportunities, and individualized coaching.

Artistic team leaders in the Dance Conservatory are Hyde for Classical and Kolb heading the Commercial team. 

Students are admitted to the Conservatory programs by audition and are held to high artistic and professional standards, with an emphasis on consistency, collaboration and creative exploration. Applications are being accepted now with a deadline of June 15 for priority acceptance. Registrations will conclude when program capacity is reached.

For information on the wide array of programs available at Orange County Music & Dance, visit www.ocmusicdance.org.

About Orange County Music & Dance

Orange County Music & Dance is the premier pre-K to 12 performing arts school in Southern California, dedicated to cultivating the “whole child” through a rigorous and programmatic, yet welcoming and empowering, path to mastery. By integrating world-class artistic training with modern industry skills and a focus on cognitive development, it provides a stable and prolific “third home” where students don’t just learn to perform, they learn to lead. Graduates emerge with the elite proficiency, skill, technological fluency and disciplined character required to command any stage, boardroom or creative frontier in the world of tomorrow. www.ocmusicdance.org

Image download 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I96Z-dnUEwHsZBtS-fyJS7Zq9ad2ceUs/view?usp=sharing

Image caption 1: Dr. Ralph Opacic, President and CEO, Orange County Music & Dance

Image download 2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mxoc68AJJmlAFxK83AZNS5yl2aYAkO2R/view?usp=sharing

Image caption 2: Young musicians gain real-world experience through ensemble collaboration and live performance opportunities.

Image download 3: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XU2VdBqguv_zrr3KAoeBXlkFwD_f8hmW/view?usp=sharing

Image caption 3: Orange County Music & Dance students develop refined musicianship, focus, technical command and precision.

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SOURCE Orange County Music and Dance

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