American Idol star shares ‘powerful message’ with Oakville students

Students at Oakville’s Jack Knox Christian School received a visit on Wednesday from a Top 10 American Idol star.

American singer, songwriter and pianist Scott MacIntyre, who appeared on the eighth season of the hit American music show, paid a visit to the independent Christian school located on Sheridan Garden Drive.

The blind musician, who placed eighth in the 2009 American Idol contest and has released several albums, performed for the school, which has some 350 students.

“Scott performed beautiful Christian music and shared his powerful message of trusting God through blindness and two kidney transplants,” said the Oakville school in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “Scott inspired us and encouraged us to walk more closely with Jesus.”

MacIntyre, who moved to Toronto at the age of 10 for four years, is the first visually impaired finalist on Idol. Kris Allen was the winner of the 2009 competition, beating runner-up Adam Lambert.

MacIntyre would go on to perform on the American Idols Live! Tour 2009 featuring the Top 10 finalists.

MacIntyre was diagnosed with kidney disease and, in November 2006, he had to spend 10 months undergoing dialysis, severely hampering his capacity to perform and travel. In 2007, on Aug. 22, he received a donated kidney that saved his life.

The Redondo, California native has released several albums over his music career, including his first full-length Christmas album, Christmas in Paris, in 2013.

In 2020, he and his wife produced a television special entitled “Enduring Hope” which aired internationally and surpassed one million viewers in 2023. The couple also launched a companion devotional podcast of the same name.