WCOPA Team UAE wins 239 medals and 9 scholarships

Formidable families and the inspiring unwavering support from the UAE leadership have helped spawn the discovery of latent and even revealed talents across the country; and, recently, the WCOPA Team UAE harvested a ton of bronze to gold medals.

WCOPA stands for the “World Championships of Performing Arts.”

From its 28th year that took place on July 13 to 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Team UAE bulldozed the 44 other countries represented; as the Team UAE 22 contestants hauled home 239 medals: 139 Gold, 64 Silver, and 36 Bronze.

Of the haul, Team UAE, composed of eight Indians, six Filipinos, two Lebanese, one Canadian, one South African, and one Japanese, between the ages of nine and 54, emerged 22 Division Champions, 17 Semi-Finalists, 15 Grand Finalists, and three Performers of the World.

While Celine Madison Matondo, Heinrich Agsaullo, and Kirsten Reyes hooked the “Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World” for their “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Reyes and violinist Zain Younis were the “Champion of the World-Vocal with Self-Accompaniment-SA” for “The Prayer.”

Nine scholarships were given away: one $25,000 New York Film Academy scholarship; three 25 per cent New York Film Academy tuition discounts; three $2,500.00 Music Consultation awards; one MusicLab Records full scholarship; and one Watersound Entertainment full scholarship.

The bounty was from “competitions across the WCOPA major performing arts disciplines, including singing/vocal, dancing, modeling, acting, instrumental music, and variety acts,” said WCOPA-UAE national director/Team UAE director Elipas Sibua.

“Each discipline is further divided into different categories, styles, age divisions, and performance formats, allowing contestants to compete in their specific area of expertise. We participated with the goal of proudly representing the UAE on the international stage,” Sibua added.

He continued: “Beyond competing for medals and awards, our delegates participated to gain invaluable international experience, develop their artistic skills, connect with performers and industry professionals from around the world, and showcase the incredible diversity of talent emerging from the UAE.”

Among the 48 parents and other family members that accompanied the 22 was Canadian Tallal Younis, father of Zain, three-time Division Champion for the Junior Instrumental (Classical), Junior Vocal SA Group (Broadway), and Senior Vocal SA Group (Pop).

According to Younis, Zain who also reaped nine golds, four silvers, and three bronzes in other segments, began learning how to play the violin, “popular” among Nova Scotia residents, at age three: “We bought him the violin. He began learning through the Suzuki Method that teaches kids that music is more than a language. The students do not read the music notes but listen to the music. Coach Eli saw him at the Al Ain Talent Competition (Instrumentals) two years back. They met again at a Burjuman Talent Show. From then on, Coach Eli has helped him develop and nourish his talent.”

“Zain is very fortunate to win. He loves music. It has been 11 years since he began playing the violin. He plays it at a high level. He also plays the piano at a regular level. He and Kirsten won together. Our role as parents is to support him,” said Younis, interviewed from the Aug. 21 “WCOPA Team UAE Homecoming Weekend Victory Concert,” graced by Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ferdinand Ver.

Younis, who volunteered that for this new academic year, Zain enters the British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi, well-known for its excellent Music Department, added: “The whole team greatly bonded together. My advice to everybody whose children may be part of future WCOPA competitions is enjoy the process. Help your kids flourish. Let them enjoy with other kids.”

Meanwhile, soprano Kirsten Reyes wept, having failed to hit the high note from the “I-Sing Competitions Send-Off Concert” at the Canadian University in Dubai in 2025.

The 13-year-old Filipina, taking off from that experience, and with her 22 medals gained from the WCOPA 2026, including her and Zain’s win, expressed gratefulness to God: “We should not give up because God has always something planned for us.”