More than 50 young singers will take the stage at the Orinda Theatre on Sunday, Aug. 16, as Lamorinda Idol marks its 20th year with an all-day finals competition that's free and open to the public.
The milestone caps two decades of a program that started small and grew into one of Lamorinda's signature community traditions. Launched in 2006 as "Orinda Idol" by the nonprofit Lamorinda Arts Council, the competition expanded to serve students across all three cities and was renamed Lamorinda Idol in 2013.
Since then, the program has grown into a months-long experience with auditions, professional vocal workshops, community concerts and a finals night that regularly fills the theater at 4 Orinda Theatre Square, according to Bay Area Telegraph reporting.
Students in kindergarten through 12th grade who live or attend school in Lafayette, Moraga or Orinda are eligible to compete as soloists or in small vocal groups. Sunday's finals run in four sessions:
- 11 a.m.–1 p.m.: Grades K–2 and 3–5 soloists
- 1:30–3 p.m.: Grades K–5, 6–8 and 9–12 groups
- 3:45–5:30 p.m.: Grades 6–8 soloists
- 6–8 p.m.: Grades 9–12 soloists
Attendees can drop in for one session or stay all day. Admission is free, though donations are accepted.
Steve Harwood, the longtime Lamorinda Idol chair known as "The Voice of Orinda," has served as master of ceremonies at the finals for years. After the August 2024 finals, he called the event "was nothing less than magical" in coverage by the Lamorinda Weekly.
The program has also produced performers who went on to professional careers. Orinda's Arri Toshiko Glenn first competed in Lamorinda Idol in third grade and returned for nearly a decade, winning group titles in 2012, 2013 and 2016. She later studied at the Boston Conservatory of Music and starred in "The Prom" at the Berkeley Playhouse in fall 2024.
The Lamorinda Arts Council, led by president Maggie Boscoe, runs the competition. The program has received consistent grant support from the Orinda Community Foundation, which listed Lamorinda Idol among its recipients in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2023.
For more information, visit lamorindaarts.org or call (925) 359-9940.
