By Damyre Perry
On the extreme north end of the Midwest, Minnesota choirs once again hit all the right notes this year and made its presence known in many areas of the show choir world. Following the last competition of the season, five regional experts voted on who the best choirs in the state are. These are the results.
Varsity Groups
Waconia "Power Company" (4 first-place votes)
It was clear since the start of the season that Waconia Power Company is a force to be reckoned with. Their show, "World On Fire," directed by Aaron Olson and Tanner Larson, was incredibly intense. Power Company is always known for their high-energy shows, leaving no room to ponder what’s going to happen next. Power Company had a killer season, not placing lower than 2nd and earning a trio of grand champion titles. Vocally, this group made a dramatic change for 2024, going from earning no best vocals last season to earning a pair this season. While their competition season wrapped up pretty early, it was still the best in the state.
2. Hastings "Riverside Company" (1 first-place vote)
Hastings Riverside Company, under the direction of Lukas Warren and Jen Fox,
continued to run the Minnesota show choir scene for another consecutive year. While this season might not have resulted in more wins compared to other seasons, Riverside Company worked extremely hard, earning the title of Best Vocals at three out of four competitions. With its season opener at Sioux Falls Jefferson cancelled due to snow, Riverside took third place at Bloomington Gold, its new season opener, losing to Ankeny and Waconia. Their bounce-back performance was at North St. Paul, earning Grand Champs, Best Vocals, Best Choreography, and Best Band in a rematch with Waconia. Placing first in prelims at Totino-Grace over Gretna showed that Riverside finished the season strong, too.
3. Bloomington Kennedy "Rhythm in Gold"
Bloomington Kennedy’s Rhythm In Gold, otherwise known as RIG, is known for their awesome storytelling shows with a pop twist. This year's show, “Snow White vs. the Evil Queen,” was one crowds were looking forward to as soon as it picked up a reputation early in the season. Rhythm In Gold is renowned for having outstanding soloists, and this year's soloists didn’t disappoint. Saturn Jordan and Jade Russell earned many Best Male and Female Soloist awards, with Russell only missing the award at one competition this year. RIG is stepping into the limelight of show choirs after a breakout past two years, and groups should be looking out for them in 2025.
4. Bloomington Jefferson "Jefferson Connection"
Across town from Kennedy, Bloomington Jefferson's Jefferson Connection had one of their best seasons ever in 2024 with an iconic pirate theme. Connection battled several premier groups throughout the upper Midwest, and they came out with two thirds and three fifths. This team is rebuilding and continuing to grow stronger, after only having 28 performers last season. After former director Philip Brown moved to Totino-Grace, new director Brian Ohnsorg has brought this group back up. Things are only looking up from here for Jefferson Connection, proving that a rising tide helps all ships in Bloomington show choir.
5. North St. Paul "Northern Lights"
North St. Paul’s Northern Lights pulled a switch on the Minnesota show choir scene this year, putting together a scrappy upstart season. The Northern Lights this season defeated groups like Totino-Grace and Bemidji, which hadn’t been done in the history of their program. The Northern Lights earned placements as high as second place and also took a Best Vocals award. Their show, with a theme of 'Alive', was in a similar vein to previous Northern Lights performances, offering an emotional storyline to watch while also highlighting big vocal moments and slamming dance breaks. Now solidly settled in at NSP, Kim Alswager will look to continue the group's rise in future seasons.
6. Bemidji "Vocalmotive"
Bemidji's Vocalmotive, ranking 6th in these standings, experienced one of the biggest changes in the scene this year with iconic director Chris Fettig retiring and passing the role to Gunnar Aas and Jess Binstock. April James was also swapped for Kevin Chase on the choreography side. However, don't call it a rebound for Bemidji. Vocalmotive earned grand champs with split captions at Onalaska, continuing their record of excellence at that event. Towards the end of their season, they faced tougher competition, ending with two fifth-place finishes and missing finals at Hastings. Despite these challenges, Vocalmotive has always been known as one of the best show choirs in Minnesota, and they have the potential to continue that legacy.
7. Totino-Grace "Company of Singers"
Totino-Grace’s Company of Singers is known for their more traditional shows. This season, they attended five competitions, ending with a pair of thirds and a pair of fifths, and also missed finals at Hastings (alongside Bemidji). After going through a couple of director changes in the past several years, Philip Brown has now ended his third season with TG. Minnesota show choir has rubber-banded, with several groups markedly better than they were before. TG got swept up in that group a little bit this year and will look to distinguish themselves in the future.
8. St. Francis "Bridge Street Singers"
St. Francis’ Bridge Street Singers were in the same boat as Bemidji this season, losing their director and choreographer. Bridge Street’s show this year was based on the five stages of grief and was definitely one of the most creative concepts to come from the Minnesota show choir scene. BSS was one of the smaller groups this year under first-year director Ian Stillmunks, who also played guitar in the show band. St. Francis made finals at two competitions this year, setting a baseline for future years.
9. South St. Paul "SouthSide Sensation"
South St. Paul’s SouthSide Sensation had one of the best seasons they've had in a very long time. SouthSide Sensation earned fifth place at Altoona Locapalooza and third place in the small school division at Totino-Grace. SouthSide has made a few finals appearances over the last few years and has proven to others that they have what it takes to be in the running for those spots. SouthSide also underwent a director change, with Shelby Heine and brand new show choir choreographer Mason Wold stepping in.
10. Waseca "State Street Singers"
Waseca underwent its second director change in three years ahead of 2024, as Tim Delnay moved back north to Wisconsin. Megan Kreingbring stepped in as director and Ria Matheson was brought in as choreographer. The program downsized from two competitive show choirs to one and three competitions to two. Waseca was second in Class A at Waconia and was third in 3A at Emmetsburg, Iowa. However, they failed to make finals at least once in a season for the first time since the pandemic. However, those two appearances alone were enough to keep them in the rankings ahead of multiple other groups.
Prep Groups
Hastings "Dynamic Edition" (5 first-place votes)
Hastings’ Dynamic Edition is one of the bigger non-varsity groups, made up of around 60 girls. Dynamic Edition has been performing at such a high level that they have what it takes to be a varsity team. Director Tatum Mahlen has grown this team tremendously, earning them a finals berth at North St. Paul’s Rock The North, and beating out varsity teams South St. Paul and St. Francis. Dynamic Edition is known for their vibrant and bubbly shows that leave the crowd yearning for more. They put together a consistently good season this year, with all five panelists ranking them first.
2. Bloomington Jefferson "Jive"
Bloomington Jefferson Jive’s show this year, “Flower Power,” revolves around the 70s era. Jive had another spectacular season, earning three second-place finishes in division as well as a third. Jive is renowned for their spectacular costumes and show concepts. Although this group is smaller than in previous years, they are exceptionally strong and capable. It is a flip of the varsity division as well, as Jefferson came out on top of crosstown program Kennedy.
3. Bloomington Kennedy "East Side Rhythm"
Bloomington Kennedy’s East Side Rhythm, otherwise known as ESR and under the direction of Christopher Laumann, has been undergoing significant changes in the type of prep group they are and their name. However, East Side Rhythm shows they have what it takes to earn a spot among the state's top prep groups. This year, ESR used the iconic song "Heart Of Stone" for their ballad, showcasing very strong vocals despite being a small treble choir. ESR is off to a promising start and is still finding its footing, being recently resurrected from the old East Side Swingers group at Kennedy.
4. Waconia "The Current"
Waconia’s The Current is another group that has undergone a director change this year, with Kevin Barnard stepping down and Izzy La Marca stepping in. The Current, transitioning from a mixed prep team to a womens group, faced a significant change. Their show tackled the topic of bad rumors and the negativity that surrounds them. Addressing a real subject that high school students face, The Current performed with raw emotion. Despite earning 4th place in the rankings and consistently averaging 3rd place throughout their season, they are just getting settled and will soon begin flourishing and thriving in this new setting.
5. Totino-Grace Testostertones
The Totino-Grace Testostertones, otherwise known as T-Tones, are the only competitive mens show choir in the state of Minnesota. The T-Tones had a shorter show this year with a theme surrounding the Top Gun movies. Earning grand champion in division at the Altoona Locapalooza proved this team may be small but they are mighty! The T-Tones have always been a fan-favorite group in Minnesota and get the crowds excited for their shows. Scoring well? That's a fun bonus too.
Receiving votes: Bemidji "La Voce Ballo", Totino-Grace "Encore Singers"