Memorial show planned for slain student Blaze Bernstein

The public is invited to pay tribute to slain Orange County resident Blaze Bernstein on Feb. 25 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

The #BlazeItForward movement will present musical and spoken performances by students from the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) themed around acts of kindness and humanity.

Bernstein, an OCSA graduate attending the University of Pennsylvania, was home for winter break when he disappeared on Jan. 2. The 19-year-old’s body was found six days later in Lake Forest, a mile from his house in Foothill Ranch.

Samuel Woodward, the Newport Beach man charged with murder in the stabbing death of Bernstein, his former high school classmate, pleaded not guilty Feb. 2 in Orange County Superior Court.

For the tribute, doors will open at 3:30 p.m. and the program will start at 4:30 p.m. Admission is free; The Segerstrom Center for the Arts and private parties are underwriting the event. Tickets are required.

Guests are asked to bring three canned food items per person for the Second Harvest Food Bank.

A $20 donation is suggested for the Blaze Bernstein Memorial Fund, which will go toward charitable organizations Bernstein likely would have supported, in addition to a scholarship endowment fund for Orange County college-bound seniors.

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts is at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. For information, call (714) 556-2787 or visit scfta.org.