ST. LOUIS - Among the finalists at the recent Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation's St. Louis Teen Talent competition were instrumentalists Henry and Kaitlyn Foppe. Henry Foppe, a junior at John Paul II Preparatory School, and Kaitlyn Foppe, a senior at Father McGivney High School, competed as a piano and violin act.
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Fourteen teen acts took the stage at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, as the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation presented scholarship awards during the 16th annual Teen Talent Competition.
Singer-songwriter Jillian Ritter, a senior at Belleville East High School, also competed as a finalist.
Grand Center Arts Academy senior Safiya Austin-El received the First Place Scholarship Award after performing “Maybe I Like it This Way” from the musical “The Wild Party.” Austin-El also received the Kranzberg Vocal Performance Award.
Second Place Scholarship Award winners were Leia & AJ, a dance duo comprised of Parkway South High School senior Leia Yogi and homeschooled senior AJ Bentley, who performed original contemporary/lyrical choreography to Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down.” Grand Center Arts Academy senior Langston Casey won the Third Place Scholarship Award for performing “Gethsemane” from the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and also received the MVP Award, Audience Choice Award and the Broadway Bound: Gerri Stretz Meyer Legacy Scholarship.
Teen Talent recognizes high school student performers in four categories: vocal, instrumental, dance and specialty. The competition is adjudicated by St. Louis performing arts professionals, and finalists were adjudicated by Tali Allen, Nina Ferrigno, Brandon Fink, Jimmy Griffin, MJ Imani, Shelby Ringdahl, Abbie Steiling, Mardra Thomas, Sharon Tucci and Jason Whicker. Acts were judged on technical ability, interpretation, stage presence and originality.
This year, 115 acts with 155 students registered for the preliminary round, representing more than 50 bi-state high schools and performing arts organizations, plus homeschoolers. The annual celebration is free and open to the public, according to the foundation.
The 2025 Teen Talent winners returned to the Fox stage to perform “A Step Beyond,” choreographed by Jorell Lawyer-Jefferson. The returning performers included dancers Keith Brown (freshman, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville), Alexis Clark (junior, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School), Trenton Hampton (freshman, Webster University), Bryson Jones (senior, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School) and Daisha Leachman (freshman, Webster University).
Finalists and cast members included Alisha Wang Yin, Aragon, Clover Fortus, Crispin Shininger, Dancing in Madness, Henry and Kaitlyn Foppe, Hurry, Jillian Ritter, Nadia Curtiss, Rashad Laurel, and West & Lyla.
In addition to the 25 performers who made up the finalists’ acts, 47 additional high school singers and dancers were cast in the Teen Talent ensemble and performed on the Fox stage in front of an audience of more than 1,000 people.
Nine PBS will broadcast the 2026 finals at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 4, 2026, according to the foundation.
Registration for the 2027 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition opens May 1, 2026, at https://stlteentalent.org/
