The lyrics for one of the two numbers Madison Becerra performed were written in the native tongue of Mexican composer Manuel Ponce.
Singing “Estrellita” in Spanish, Becerra said later, made her feel closer to her father and her family’s Mexican heritage.
Meet the Artists of the Year
Dance: Piper Rovsek, Newport Beach
Theater: Isabella Kim, Fullerton
Film and TV: Noah Villanueva, Irvine
Instrumental music: Allie Molin, Mission Viejo
Fine arts: Helen Zhang, Irvine
Media arts: Jennifer (Doyeon) Kim, Yorba Linda
And the aria she performed, “Je Veux Vivré” from Charles Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette,” reflected her mixed emotions as a college-bound young adult leaving behind childhood.
It was a winning tandem, as Becerra’s soaring soprano earned her the honor of being named Artist of the Year for Vocal Music.
She was a finalist last year.
This year, the judges noted her poise and well-spoken maturity.
“I just thought she was the total package when she was talking about music,” said Ruth Mason, director of ticket services at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
And when she sang.
Mason told Becerra as much: “I don’t have a question. I just want to say your voice is beautiful.”
Madison Becerra of Fullerton, a senior studying at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the vocal music Artist of the Year for 2025. Becerra is pictured in the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Becerra’s singing voice has been incubating since she was about 3, when she recalls hearing “Phantom of the Opera” echo through the house from the TV. She began performing at 6 and by the age of 11 was dedicated to the rigors of opera.
Becerra had big dreams at a young age of performing in front of an LA Opera audience at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. But she knew it would take a lot of hard work.
She wrote in her Artist of the Year statement how she would spend days and nights before she reached her teens, “trying to perfectly set up my breath support for the soaring high notes in my newest art song, while learning foreign languages and polishing dynamics.”
She came to Orange County School of the Arts in seventh grade.
All the while, Becerra has dealt with anxiety issues that tend to ease once she is on stage in character, taking on a different persona.
“It’s not me singing,” she told the judges. “It’s something coming through me.”
As lofty as her voice can be, Becerra, 18, is grounded in an equally intense desire to inspire young children with limited resources.
“I didn’t have that either,” she said.
She visits schools and talks about how singing brought out the best in her. She shows students clips of her performances. Becerra encourages them to study classical music to set a strong foundation for any musical pursuit.
“I just know there are children out there who need an outlet.”
She plans to attend a four-year college or music conservatory for opera and vocal performance. Where she ends up, Becerra said, depends on the faculty and the financial aid package.
Vocal Music finalists
In addition to Artist of the Year, the judges also selected four finalists from the 16 vocalists who showcased classical voice, musical theater, indie, pop, country and jazz.
Lal Besir of Irvine, a senior studying at Orange County School of the Arts, is a vocal music finalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Aydin Tuna)
Lal Besir, Division 1: Besir is a senior at Orange County School of the Arts. She’s a soprano. Her father is a classical flutist and composer. The bilingual Besir, who speaks Turkish and English, is named after a classically trained Turkish pop singer. Besir, 18, hopes to expand the boundaries of opera by curating recitals in Turkish and other Middle Eastern languages, and bring more awareness to women composers. She plans to study classical music and teach in higher education.
Nadia Jaramillo of Santa Ana, a senior studying at Santa Ana High School, is a vocal music finalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Ceclilia De La Riva)
Nadia Jaramillo, Division 2: Jaramillo was folding clothes with her mom when the song “Never Enough” from “The Greatest Showman” began playing on the TV. Jaramillo belted along. She was good. A mezzo soprano, Jaramillo studied other singers on YouTube, then honed her vocal and musical theater skills at Santa Ana High. She wants to study sociology and minor in music, with the goal of becoming a high school counselor. She is 18 and has been accepted at Chapman University.
Lavinia Lotus Watkins of Laguna Beach, a junior studying at the Milena Kitic Vocal Studio, is a vocal music finalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo by Kelsey Ulmer)
Lavinia Lotus Watkins, Division 1: She loved to sing and make up songs. Her kindergarten teacher noticed and suggested her parents get her into a choir. They did. Watkins, 17, went on to study classical voice at Orange County School of the Arts, where she is a junior. She has performed with choral groups and as an individual at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Lincoln Center. She has also been a volunteer cast member for the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters in 2022 and 2024, with plans to return this summer.
Jaden Yoo of Irvine, a senior studying at Orange County School of the Arts, is a vocal music finalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Timothy Okajima)
Jaden Yoo, Division 1: He sang “Come Away, Death,” a bittersweet piece personally. Yoo, 18, lost his father in March and sang the mournful work by Roger Quilter at the funeral services. For him, it’s a healing song. A tenor, Yoo believes art has the power to transform people and bring comfort, fueling an interest in music therapy. The senior at Orange County School of the Arts is considering a dual degree in vocal music performance and psychology.
The judges
Special thanks to the judges who helped evaluate students this year.
The judges who evaluated the 120 instrumental music nominees and chose the 16 semifinalists were:
Mark Aguero, Wallis Annenberg High School
Kevin Bachelder, Tarbut V’Torah
Joslynne Blasdel, University High School
Alexander Gellatly, Orange High School
Judy Huang, Private Music Teacher, Music Teacher Association of California
Heide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
Young Kang, Private Music Teacher, Music Teacher Association of California
Jim Kollias, Beckman High School
Jackson Lai, Fountain Valley High School
Diane Lee, University High School
Ashley Song, Fairmont Preparatory Academy
Jacob Sustaita, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra
The judges who interviewed the semifinalists and chose the four finalists and the Artist of the Year were:
Stephen Coker, Director of Choral Activities, Chapman University
Rhett Del Campo, President and CEO, Pacific Chorale
Heide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
Ruth Mason, Director of Ticket Services, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Anne McNiff-Gaeta, Director of Group Services, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Susanne Reid, Music Department Chair, Vanguard University
Jennifer Siglin, Graphic Designer, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Binh Vu, Music Department Chair, Santiago Canyon College
Division 1 students have had more than four years of vocal music training in school and/or privately. Division 2 students have had less than four years.