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A second Purcell youth has been named among nearly 270 young artists who studied with internationally renowned faculty and celebrity guest artists at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute.

Evan Boothe and Corbin Hall studied choral music at OSAI at Home.

“At OSAI at Home, I received instruction of the highest caliber,” Boothe said. “I am a better musician now than I was at the beginning of the week. It is wonderful that such a high level institution is available for students across the state.”

The virtual institute drew praise from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy  Hofmeister.

The young artists, selected from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants, had eight artistic disciplines from which to choose. Those were acting, chorus, creative writing, dance, drawing and painting, film and video, orchestra and photography.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the institute could not be held at Quartz Mountain.

So the organization created OSAI at Home, a robust online program.

Nightly presentations featured superstars like Misty Copeland with the American Ballet Theatre, award-winning poet Sasha Pimentel from the University of Texas, actor Daniel Spector from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara and Jad Abumrad, creator of the Radiolab podcast.

The curriculum included workshops, critiques and one-on-one lessons during the weeklong institute.

“In the face of uncertainty and change, the Oklahoma Arts Institute made a commitment to the state’s most talented students that the show would indeed go on despite the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hofmeister said. “OAI’s pivot to an online Summer Arts Institute has proven that where there’s a will, there’s a way.

“As a result, students across the state were able to learn and create under the tutelage of exceptional instructors and guest artists.”

Hofmeister applauded the students’ hard work and commitment to their art.

“I am so proud of these students,” she said. “The fire inside them burns bright and their courageous creativity will ensure a brighter future for Oklahoma.”

Support from the state and numerous private donors ensures every student accepted to OSAI receives a full scholarship to attend.

Scholarships for Boothe and Hall were provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, David and Molly Boren Scholarship Fund and Sarkeys Foundation Scholars Fund.

Additional program support was provided by the Oklahoma Arts Council, Jerome Westheimer Family Foundation, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Hearst Foundations, Harris Foundation, OKC Midtown Rotary Club, Zarrow Foundations and National Endowment for the Arts.

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