FutureStars, Pioneer High School’s annual talent search for Ann Arbor’s next musical star, has been attracting eager audiences for a night of performances ever since 2002.

On Jan. 17, 2026, crowds of people, many with flowers in hand, filled Pioneer High School’s Schreiber Auditorium. A panel of judges sat directly to the side of the stage. This year’s group consisted of three U of M football players, two professors of theater and musical theater at U of M, a student in U of M’s musical theater department, Chris Taylor (Ann Arbor’s mayor) and Pioneer’s principal, Desmond Smith.

Each performer sang a song, sometimes accompanying themselves on guitar or piano. While most sang solos, some performed as part of a duet, trio or larger group. After each song, the judges provided compliments and made notes in their notebooks, so they would be prepared to choose the top acts of the night later.

The FutureStars consisted of juniors and seniors. Underclassmen made up the Rising Stars, a non-competing group that performed two medleys: songs from “Wicked” and songs from the 90’s.

After over 20 performances and much applause, the top five numbers were selected by the judges. From there, it was up to the audience to determine the winner of FutureStars 2026. The winner was determined by the level of applause, measured by a decibel reader, that each of the top five contestants received. For each performer, the applause was nearly deafening.

The top five acts of FutureStars 2026 included Abigail Rohrer singing “Cowboy Casanova” by Carrie Underwood, Irie Scrase singing “Girl On Fire” by Alicia Keys, Abigail Rohrer and Gabby Thompson singing “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again” by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and Zoey Grekin singing “I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith.

The winner of FutureStars 2026 was Gabby Thompson, a Pioneer senior, for her performance of “Love” by Keyshia Cole.

Thompson’s first experience with FutureStars was as a non-competing RisingStar her freshman year, when her group performed an Elvis Presley medley and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame medley. She still has both numbers memorized.

“I adore performing and have been passionately involved in theater since sixth grade,” Thompson said. “But portraying a character and singing between their scenes in a musical feels far less intimidating than performing a song by itself, as yourself.”

Last year, Thompson served as one of the hosts for FutureStars 2025, which was a way for her to be involved in the show without singing.

Thompson has participated in many Pioneer Theatre Guild shows since her freshman year, along with being a part of Pioneer’s choir. Her favorite productions were “Mean Girls,” in which she played Gretchen Wieners, and “The SpongeBob Musical,” which was Pioneer’s fall musical this year. Thompson played Sandy Cheeks, one of the main characters in the musical.

Thompson described feeling nervous before her first song in FutureStars.

“It was a solo, nonetheless an extremely vulnerable and in-your-feels ballad, which was pretty much exactly what I was so frightened of before I auditioned for the show,” Thompson said.

Going into Thompson’s second song — “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again,” a duet with her friend Abigail Rohrer — Thompson felt much more at ease.

Thompson said she was blown away by every performer in FutureStars.

“Each singer brought something so uniquely their own to their song, and the surprises were just nonstop. Jaws were on the floor in the audience,” Thompson said. “You’d literally have to do everything in your power to not stand up and make too much distracting noise when someone would hit a crazy opt-up or riff. There was just so much joy.”

Thompson plans to continue pursuing performance after high school. Currently, she is in the process of auditioning for colleges in hopes of being accepted into a Musical Theatre BFA program. She had one of these auditions the morning before her win at FutureStars.

“I truly believe the arts make the world go around, and I personally can’t imagine a future for myself without them,” Thompson said.

Simon Schroeder, a junior at Community, used to go see FutureStars with his mom when he was in elementary school. He’s been singing in musicals since he was six years old, and recently performed in many Pioneer Theatre Guild shows, including “Newsies,” “Footloose” and “The SpongeBob Musical.”

For FutureStars 2026, Schroeder sang “Drops of Jupiter,” the 2001 hit by Train.

Schroeder described FutureStars as an opportunity to explore performing like some of his favorite pop stars. One of Schroeder’s biggest inspirations is the chart-topping singer Conan Gray. Over the summer, Schroeder attended his concert.

“I’m drawn to Conan Gray because of how his music is sung and written as if it’s just for him,” Shroeder said. “It’s so raw, personal and honest.”

Similar to Thompson, Schroeder felt that singing in FutureStars was especially intimidating because he wasn’t playing a character; he had to solely be himself.

“It was just me, the band and the audience,” Scroeder said.

Ellora Kirbat, a junior at Community, was the student producer of FutureStars 2026.

Kirbat has been performing on stage since she was eight, but this year, she decided to focus on working backstage. In the fall, she led the make-up crew for Community Ensemble Theatre. For FutureStars, she managed much of the behind-the-scenes work, including helping out with blocking for the performers and coordinating backstage logistics.

Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the program, marking a quarter of a century of dark nights, made bright by FutureStars.