By Adam Vanderkolff

Standout performer Nikita Riou took the stage confidently and won over the hearts of the audience and the judges.

It was a beautiful sunny Canada Day celebration at Lambert Willson Park, where 100 people gathered to watch the Aurora Teen Idol competition.

Surrounded by their families, friends, and other audience members, the young performers presented themselves confidently and put on a remarkable show.

After auditions were held in mid-June, only eight contestants were selected for the final event.

The competition was stiff.

In order of performance, the top eight included: Aarin Dsouza, who sang Celine Dion's Ashes; Amelie Kolnik, who sang The A Team by Ed Sheeran; Irene Piorischin with her performance of All of Me by John Legend; Kiana Mirshahi with Tracy Chapman's Fast Car; Nikita Riou performing Adele's All I Ask; Sasha Valerie Matta with Leonard Cohen's classic Hallelujah; and Vianna Ek performing Hero by Mariah Carey. Unfortunately, the last finalist Alexandra Paton was unable to attend.

The judges were looking for; “pitch, rhythm, tone, quality, diction, and presence,” to make their selection, and they did a fantastic job determining the finalists given the talent that was on display.

The four finalists included Emily, Nikita, Sasha, and Vianna.

Hosting the event was the 2018 Aurora Teen Idol winner Olivia Freeman, who did a great job introducing and inspiring the contestants with a performance of her own.

When the singing was done, the audience was left eagerly waiting to hear the results. 13-year-old Vianna Ek was announced the runner-up and it was 16-year-old Nikita Riou who was presented with long-awaited recognition, and the Aurora Teen Idol sash.

“I felt incredibly nervous,” said Nikita. “It's an honour, I'm really happy. It was so exciting and a fun experience.”

Nikita stated that her selection of Adele was easy adding “I love Adele, she's my idol.”

Mayor and Aurora Teen Idol judge Tom Mrakas stated “when you come out and watch the Teen Idol competition, you see how incredible the talent is in our community.”

Nikita has a bright future in music as she will be making appearances at various events in Aurora and will be able to present her talents to even more people as she will be showcasing her voice at several Town events in the twelve months ahead.

“I think we're all proud to have the runner-up (Vianna Ek) and 2019 Aurora Teen Idol winner Nikita represent Aurora for the year,” added Mayor Mrakas. “We're looking forward to her singing the national anthem at many events and some other songs along the way. Congratulations to all the contestants.”