With the 2024 southern show choir season having been wrapped up for a number of weekends, it is time for this year's final set of show choir rankings for the southern circuit. In true show choir fashion, two extra voters were added to the finals voting panel in order to include a more thorough set of results. This set of placements reflects what the panel thought of the single-gender division.
1st) Tupelo “Synergy” (7 first-place votes)
(Tupelo Public School District)
The reigning single-gender group ends the year atop the rankings, as Tupelo finishes the season undefeated in their category throughout all attended southern competitions. The only time they didn’t finish first in their division was at Heart of America Nashville, where they finished runner-up. This year, they beat groups such as Northwest Rankin’s mixed group, Jackson Academy, and Homewood’s womens group. They also attended finals at all competitions where it was presented, finishing the year with individual 2nd, 4th, and 5th overall placements.
2nd) Homewood “Nexus”
(Jasper Choir)
Homewood has one of their strongest seasons in recent memory, and maybe ever, this year in the single-gender category. They placed first in their division at three of their four competitions, with their lone loss came at a non-southern-circuit event. This year, they beat groups such as Northwest Rankin, Madison Central, Brandon’s womens group, and Jackson Prep, all while racking up 4th and 5th overall placements along the season.
3rd) Brandon “Bellas”
(Brandon Show Choir Association BSCA)
Debatably the most improved group within the single-gender category from start to finish this year, Brandon won their division at four of the six competitions they attended, the odd standouts being an unexpected placement at the Jackson Academy Show Choir Invitational and a runner-up finish from their matchup against Carmel at the Chesterton Trojan Classic. They beat groups such as Biloxi, Madison Central, and Oak Mountain’s womens group, all while finishing the season with two 3rd overall placements.
4th) Oak Mountain “The Muses"
It was a little difficult to get a pulse on the Muses this season. Everywhere that they could make the overall finals, they did, placing second at Auburn, third at Enterprise and fifth at Homewood. Along the way, they beat several middle mixed groups. However, when it came time to face big single-gender competition, Muses fell to Brandon Bellas at Tift County and was third in its Nationals title defense. It was a spectacular season nonetheless.
5th) Northwest Rankin “The Allure”
NWR quietly put together a strong season on the single-gender front. They started off the season by winning the division at South Jones, and then went into the grind of facing some of the south's top single-gender groups. Save for two losses to Tupelo, Allure held its own very well throughout the season, even beating Brandon Bellas at JASI. It finished the season by flipping the script on Petal Innovations at Biloxi, catapulting them to finish fourth in finals.
6th) Auburn “Elan”
A complete list of single-gender groups that Auburn lost to this season is as follows: Homewood Nexus and Cosby Rhapsody. That's pretty solid, and while they did not run up against the bulk of the Mississippi womens groups or Oak Mountain, that's okay. Especially impressive was a second-place showing at Andover in New England, where Elan was second of seven choirs and earned a Gold Medal rating.
7th) Petal “Innovations”
Innies had a little bit of an odd season, at least in the South. Following a fifth overall and second in division at Enterprise, they were the only womens group at West Jones and didn't see a Mississippi single-gender group until Biloxi, where they beat both Northwest Rankin groups in prelims. Petal rounded out the season at Marysville in Ohio, where they were third to North Central and Carroll.
8th) Tift County “Ladies Choice”
On the one hand, it's almost criminal that a choir who won a competition outright this year over several mixed groups is ranked this low. Ladies' Choice won the Albertville Diamond Classic with Best Choreography and Best Overall Effect over Tift's mixed group. On the other hand, Ladies Choice took home no other division wins during the 2024 season. The triumph was still a great highlight in Scott Rains' final season with Tift County.
9th) Enterprise “Esprit”
Esprit was unable to break through for a division win at all this year, although it didn't help that they were facing some pretty tough competition in the heart of the season. Competing on the last three weekends in February, Enterprise was second to Homewood Nexus at Jasper, third to Oak Mountain and Northwest Rankin The Allure at Homewood, and second to Brandon at Petal. They did notch placings over NWR The Ambition and Albertville CenSations over the course of the season.
10th) Tift County “Tiftosterone”
By most accounts, it was a very successful season for Tiftosterone. The group made finals at Albertville, placing fifth. It was the first finals appearance in the group's history dating back to its inception in the 2020 season. Additionally, at the other three competitions on the schedule, Tiftosterone won the mens division all three times. They beat both Auburn and Tallassee twice to firmly cement themselves as a top-ten single-gender group in the south.
11th) Madison Central “Renown”
Renown only got out three times this season, all in the month of February. Following a bottom-of-the-line sixth-place showing at Jackson Academy, the group returned a week later at Northeast Jones and was second to Brandon Bellas. Renown closed the season at Tupelo, where they beat Auburn Men at Work.
12th) Albertville “CenSations!”
Similar to the mixed group CenterStage!, 2024 was a year of change for CenSations!. The group went from attending five competitions to three and changed choreographers to Kyle Aiden and Grace Pacheco. Running the February gauntlet that so many Alabama choirs do, CS notched third-place finishes at Opelika and Auburn to highlight their season.
13th) Northwest Rankin “The Ambition”
New for 2024, The Ambition is potentially the first mens show choir in Mississippi history that went a full competition season. Completing a robust five-competition season that spanned three months and two states was quite impressive for this rookie group. Highlights of the season included beating Madison Central Renown at Jackson Academy and beating Keller Central Voltage at Biloxi.
14th) Auburn “Men at Work”
2024 started with a shock for Men at Work: they lost a dedicated mens division for the first time since before the pandemic. Tift County Tiftosterone got the best of Auburn at Tallassee to start the season and then also at Opelika two weeks later. However, Men at Work was still solidly ahead of Tallassee Gold Edition, another southern mens group. A third-place finish in the overall single-gender division at Tupelo and a silver medal at Andover rounded out the season.
15th) Tallassee “Divas”
Again under the longtime guidance of Michael Bird, Divas did themselves no favors with the competition schedule they attended. The division sizes at Divas' competitions were four, five and six. From that, the group notched a third-place showing at Enterprise and a fifth-place showing at Opelika, where Emily Hacker and Sara Jane Patterson picked up soloist awards as well.
Receiving Votes: Briarwood "Karis", Opelika "Impressions"
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