Ponoka’s Zuri Ayuno prepping for Canada West festival

Published 9:00 am Monday, June 22, 2026

Ponoka’s Zuri Ayuno is preparing for the Canada West Performing Arts Festival, set to run July 24-25 in Edmonton.

Ponoka’s Zuri Ayuno’s gift to convey such power and emotion through her voice continues lead to exciting new ventures.

At 14, she’s long been delighting audiences with her vocal artistry, and of late she’s been busy competing at a number of local festivals.

She is now prepping for the Canada West Performing Arts Festival, set to run July 24-25 in Edmonton.

Ayuno will be competing against vocalists from B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

“I’ll be performing musical theatre and classical at Canada West,” she said.

“With classical, you have a time limit — you have 15 minutes, so I’ll be doing five songs. With the musical theatre, I’ll be doing four.”

As her level of experience has grown, so as her confidence to compete. And although she is superb in a number of genres, there is one that is essentially central.

“I’ve been training mostly in classical for most of my singing career. So that would be the one I would be more experienced in,” she said.

“I also feel with musical theatre, you have to act, sing, and sometimes dance. You have to incorporate so many different types of performance into it. That’s what makes it different from opera, where you do perform in a way. But it’s more through your voice — you don’t act or dance as much.”

Ayuno had a very early start with professional instruction under the guidance of Dr. Wendolin Munroe at Burman University, and that came about with support from her dad, Arnel Ayuno.

Munro was promptly impressed with what she heard from the youngster.

Training started up, and it’s proved an amazing partnership to this day.

“I love her. She has been with me through everything — all of my competitions. Genuinely, I don’t know where I would be without her,” said Zuri.

“She’s been there since I was four, so I’ve had 10 years to form such a special connection with her. She understood my voice from such a young age. She’s been there for everything, and I’m so happy I have her.”

Looking ahead, Zuri certainly has career goals when it comes to her singing, but there is an overriding vision as well.

“I want to inspire peoples to pursue their dreams. I also want to be an inspiration and say you can work hard, pursue your dreams, and it’s okay to make mistakes. And even if you are from a small town, you can still be noticed if you put yourself out there.”

Speaking of venturing out in a big way, back in the summer of 2024, Zuri was part of Team Canada at the World Championships of the Performing Arts in Long Beach, California. She was also the only junior representative from Canada,

Not only was it a blast, it was also a triumph, as she landed a spot in the semi-finals and ultimately won gold in her ‘pop’ category.

She also competed in several categories including opera, musical theatre, and R&B/Jazz, among others.

For Zuri, singing is the ideal means for self-expression.

“I think performing is the best thing. Relaying a story to the audience — that is just so special. It’s an art. Performing, and making an audience feel something, showing them what it means to be an artist is just really special.”

Does she still get a bit of the nerves?

“I’ve learned how to control it,” she said with a laugh.

“Big crowd or small, there are going to be nerves. But the nerves mean you care. And once you get into the flow, it kind of just drifts away, and you can focus, and go all out in your performance.”

As to Canada West, Zuri is always excited to share her gift with others, and explore the range of new connections these kinds of events bring her way.

“I have already made so many connections from doing this a bunch,” she said.

“The adjudicators also have so much wisdom. They really give you tips on how to be better.”