Read original article at thesuntimesnews.com
Juniors and seniors from Ann Arbor’s four area high schools – Community, Huron, Pioneer and Skyline, auditioned via video tape, for the 24th Annual FutureStars extravaganza staged at the Schreiber Auditorium at Pioneer High School on Saturday, Jan. 17th.
In the performance, there was something for everyone. Twenty-five students put on a concert for the ages. Under the direction of Ken Pesick, a six-piece band provided a professional accompaniment that helped every student shine when their moment in the spotlight came.
Pioneer Theatre Guild (PTG) co-sponsors Jayne Kelmigian, Quinn Strassel and Mysti Plummer provided artistic direction for the performance. Vocal coaches for the Future Stars included Athena Johnson, Allison Gaines and Elle Michaels. Music director R. Mackenzie Lews and choreographer Zoli Berensci worked with the RisingStars (9th & 10th graders).
FutureStars featured eight judges that provided each singer with a critique of their performance. The panel featured former Broadway stars Jessica Boevers Bogart and Geoff Packard, currently professors in the UM School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD). Also, the panel featured Quincey Hampton, a junior at SMTD, Desmond Smith, principal at Pioneer High School, Christopher Taylor, Mayor of The City of Ann Arbor and Avery Gach, Eli Owens and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng from UM’s football team.
After listening to all performances, the panel of judges was asked to pick the five finalists. The winner would be determined through the applause of the audience, using two applause meters, located at the front and rear of the auditorium.
The five finalists were: “Girl On Fire” (Alicia Keys) sung by Irie Scrase; “Cowboy Casanova” (Carrie Underwood) sung by Abigail Rohrer; “Love” (Keyshia Cole) sung by Gabby Thompson; “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again” (Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo) sung by Abigail Rohrer & Gabby Thompson; “I’m Not The Only One” (Sam Smith) sung by Zoey Grekin.
The audience roared their approval as Gabby Thompson singing “Love” was announced as the winner of the 2026 FutureStars event.
Other numbers that delighted the audience included Nicole Harris and Aaron Womble singing “Almost is Never Enough”; Kota Forrest, Kaylee Gadepalli, Caroline Gadaire & Alex Hannah singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, Salem Dinh, Ellie Fox & Zoey Gerkin singing a sassy version of “Say My Name”.
Act II led the audience on a trip down memory lane with timeless classics, including, Rosie Matish, Abby Pritchard & Eva Steinhoff singing “Take Me Home Country Roads”; Ryan Lorenz, Simon Schroeder & Aaron Womble singing the iconic “I’m A Believer”; Nicole Harris making Aretha proud with her version of “Natural Woman”; Caroline Gadaire, Alex Hannah, Julianne Heller & Emma Martinez, dressed in glittery sequins singing Abba’s “Waterloo”; while the trip down memory lane was wrapped up by Buturo Barolomei singing a powerful rendition of “Misty”, sounding like the perfect blend of Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaugn.
The Rising Stars brought Act I to a close singing a medley of songs from Wicked. They closed Act II singing a 90’s medley with songs from K-Ci & Jo-Jo, Brittany Spears, The Backstreet Boys and Destiny’s Child. The group’s rendition of “For Good” was sensational.
Article & Photo By Steven Sheldon
Pioneer High School Theatre Guild 