By LINDA CHION KENNEY
An idol competition signifies one voice triumphing over all others, but to hear competitors at Riverview High tell it, it’s more about bonding and supporting one another in their shared passion to perform.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of Riverview Idol, a music program fundraiser founded by music teacher Elizabeth “Liz” Stewart, who, with her former student, and now fellow music teacher, Acadia Bravo, and theater teacher Joie Marsh collectively stage 20 to 30 choral and stage performances throughout the school year.
Chion Kenney photo
Music teacher Elizabeth “Liz” Stewart, with Riverivew Idol Yan LeBron Santiago and Top 5 finalist Sofia Hernandez.
“We’re very intentional in chorus and theater, that everyone knows that they’re seen and valued, and that they’re an important piece of what we do,” Stewart said. “That’s why when one student wins, the others celebrate because they’re used to celebrating each other every day. They know that when they work together, they can win together.”
And so it is also with Riverview Idol, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. Newly named Riverview Idol 2026 is Yan LeBron Santiago, who on Oct. 2 received top scores for both judges’ selection and audience choice. The competition followed two others, held in September, for Top 25 and for Top 10 contenders.
Riverview Idol Top 5 finalist, Avery Spicer
Riverivew Idol Top 5 finalist, Olivia Hall
Riverview Idol Top 5 finalist, Sofia Hernandez
Riverview Idol Top 5 finalist, Katie Wittmeyer
“It’s crazy that I got both [top] scores,” said LeBron, who received praise for his ability not only to nail his musical numbers but also for his use of improvisational skills to engage his audience in the spirit of the moment.
To be “interesting with your vocals, it isn’t enough,” said Lebron, who recounts that at one point in his performance, “I carried my voice out into the audience, without a microphone, singing and belting as loud as I could.” “Reminding the audience that they, too, are a part of the performance,” he added, “is the best thing you can do.”
To the casual eye, the singer craves the spotlight, but to hear Riverview Idol contestants tell it, a sense of belonging is the true gift of performing. Counted among this year’s Top 5 Finishers were Olivia Hall, Sofia Hernandez, Avery Spicer and Katie Wittmeyer.
“People choose to come and listen to us sing and to enjoy themselves, and being able to give them that, that’s the gift we get in return,” Hernandez said. “I’ve always struggled with believing that I don’t belong in certain places, but when I’m on the stage, it really makes me feel like I belong here.”
So it was also for Isabella Barton and for Hannah Hewett, who last year took home Riverview Idol crowns, furthering a tradition that eagerly is anticipated each school year.
“It’s cool how this fundraiser has brought in a lot of money for the music program and that we keep it going,” Hewett said. “Not only is it very beneficial for everyone who’s in the voice and theater department, but it also is a great way for the contestants to get experience.”
Barton agreed. “I’m a real sucker for performing and being able to sing,” she said. “I feel like each song is just another story that I can tell to other people. It’s like when I’m on stage, people aren’t just hearing my voice. They’re hearing the deepest depths of my soul.”
Tradition plays a big role at Riverview High for choral and theater students, and for band students, now under the tutelage of Robert Luster, who led his students to a second-place division finish at a multi-school marching band competition at Newsome High this month.
A major force in the early years at Riverview High was Daron Hawkins, posthumously remembered with the naming of a road that leads from Boyette Road into the school’s main theatre entrance.
“Daron would brilliantly say, ‘I don’t teach great theater, I teach the gift of confidence,’” Stewart said. “And that’s so true; because once a teenager gains confidence, they can step into whatever’s next and they’re not afraid.”
This reasoning is in line with Santiago’s outlook on life. Like so many of his competitors, Santiago said he grew up performing, “and it helped me through times where needing an escape was necessary.”
Nik Williams, Riverview High student photographer
Yan LeBron Santiago, singing his heart out at Riverivew Idol.
Moreover, “it’s an honor to be able to make people’s days lighter and to make them laugh,’ Santiago said. “No matter what you’re going through, the ability to perform and to influence people is an art. It’s a blessing that we have the gift to perform.”
If in the end competitors celebrate together the crowning of a top vote-getter, that’s music to a teacher’s ears.
“We are very intentional in chorus and theater, more so now than when we were pre-COVID, to spend time letting everyone know that they’re seen and that they’re valued,” Stewart said. “That’s the beauty of music. That everyone, no matter where they place, can sing.”