A Filipina singer born and raised in the United Arab Emirates has been named Junior Champion of the World at the 2026 World Championships of Performing Arts, closing out a competition run that produced 13 gold medals across solo and group categories.
Kirstin Reyes reached the Grand Finale as part of KZ The Power Duo and The Power Trio at the championships, held July 13 to 21 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Her solo golds came in Broadway, R&B, country, open and pop vocals. In group competition, she took gold in Broadway, contemporary and original works with the ECS Singers; in contemporary and open with The Power Trio; and in Broadway and contemporary with KZ The Power Duo. She added a gold in dance open group performing alongside fellow UAE-based Filipino-American competitor Celine Madison Matondo.
She earned silver in self-accompanied contemporary, self-accompanied gospel, musical theatre and world vocals, along with a group silver in Broadway with the K&O Duo. Her bronzes came in song-in-dance and rock vocals.
Six division championships followed: vocal country, vocal contemporary and vocal R&B as a soloist; contemporary with KZ The Power Duo; open group with the ECS Singers; and vocal contemporary with The Power Trio.
The championships draw performers from more than 70 countries and are widely described as the Olympics of the performing arts. Contestants compete in acting, dance, music, variety arts and modeling, advancing through preliminary and semi-final rounds before the closing Grand Finale, where division winners contend for the championship titles.
The Westgate carries its own performance history — the property, formerly the International Hotel, hosted residencies by Elvis Presley, Liberace and Barbra Streisand before becoming the championships’ home.
The Las Vegas showing follows a competition record built almost entirely in the UAE and Canada. She was named Grand Champion at I-SING World in Toronto in August 2025, and has taken top honors at multiple Dubai talent competitions, including Saint Mary’s Got Talent, Filcom Got Talent and Saint Michael Got Talent. She performed as a lead in an Off-Broadway season staging of Hairspray and opened for Sofronio Vasquez at a Dubai World Trade Centre concert in 2025. She sings with the ECS Choir.
