Read original article at: www.weloveannarbor.com

Let’s not only pull back the curtain, but step back in time. Pioneer senior Isabel Nuñez-Regueiro was just 5 years old when she pulled back the curtain and walked on stage for the first time. 

“I was 5 years old at my first violin recital,” she says. “From then on, I’ve loved performing and have taken every opportunity to do so.”

Her next chance to do so will be on Saturday when Pioneer Theatre Guild’s FutureStars 2023 returns for its 21st year at the newly renovated Schreiber Auditorium at Pioneer High School (see details below). Nuñez-Regueiro will be performing Elton John and Dua Lipa’s Cold Heart as a duet with Ian Weintraub, as well as Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time as a soloist.

“I love to go out on stage and have fun, and get a chance to showcase the work that goes into every performance,” says Nuñez-Regueiro, who obviously puts in a lot of work for every performance. “Going on stage is a very vulnerable feeling for me, but I have learned to use it to my advantage and learn to take these moments and just have fun with it.”

Nuñez-Regueiro has performed for AADC, the Royal Academy of Dance in Mexico and has performed the National Anthem at NCAA tournaments through U-M. She also is a member of the Pioneer choirs, PTG, and the acapella group Harmony. She says she performs “basically anywhere else I can.”

Nuñez-Regueiro participated in Rising Stars for FutureStars 2020 and was a performer in FutureStars 2022 where she sang Can’t Hurry Love by The Supremes as a trio as well as Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now as a quartet.

She says she is “super excited” for Saturday night’s show.

“I can’t wait to get on stage and just have fun,” she says. “I have not participated in a PTG show since the last FutureStars as I was busy with SATs, college applications and the like, but I have greatly missed working with this organization.

“As a senior, this will be my last chance to perform at FutureStars and I want to make it a memorable experience.”

Nuñez-Regueiro believes this year’s show will be special.

“This year’s group is full of talent and will put on a great show,” she says. “And I am excited to showcase all the amazing talent and hard work that was put into making this show.” 

Isabel, 18, is the daughter of Paloma and Jose Nuñez-Regueiro, and she sings to an impressive 3.85 GPA in the classroom. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Pioneer Mediation Team and has dual-enrollment at WCC. She also is a volunteer at En Nuestra Lengua Spanish School and works at Baskin-Robbins.

Her next “stage” will be college.

“I will be pursuing a BS in Psychology, though I have yet to commit to a university,” she says.

By Terry Jacoby