This week’s marquee competitions include the beginning of regional travel, one of the largest Missouri fields in recent memory, another staggeringly large Wisconsin field, and a three-way battle for central Iowa supremacy.
Millard West Music Lives
The Lineup (groups from Nebraska unless noted)
Mixed: Aberdeen Central “Eagle Express” (SD), Brandon “Brio” (MS), Lewis Central “Corporation” (IA), Millard North “Infinity”, Omaha South “The Ambassadors”, Smith-Cotton “New Score Singers” (MO), Westside “Amazing Technicolor Show Choir”
Womens: Aberdeen Central “Special Request” (SD), Brandon “Bellas” (MS), Lewis Central “Company” (IA), Mercy “Treblemakers”, Millard North “llumination”, Omaha South “Amplify”, Westside “Simply Irresistible”
Prep: Benson “Resilience”, Bryan “Surround Sound”, Millard North “Intensity”, Smith-Cotton “Vocal Velocity” (MO), Westside “Warrior Express”
Full Preview: The Music Is About to Come Alive at Millard West
Music Lives is a five-state affair this season, which certainly pushes it towards the ‘national competition’ territory. The headlining matchup is ATSC vs. Brio, a battle that last happened at Heart of America Nashville in 2023. While Brio won that battle, ATSC already has two full sweeps to its name so far this season. Brio, for its part, has brought in several clinicians in the weeks leading up to Music Lives to give them the best preparation possible. Whoever wins will certainly have earned it. Lewis Central will look to continue their podium streak, but will have to make it past Millard North and Omaha South, two groups who just performed at a stacked Gretna event. The seven-choir womens division will certainly be an entertaining one as well, with SI getting the best of Bellas last time they met.
Pleasant Hill Battle of the Best
The Lineup (groups from Missouri unless noted)
6A: Jenks “Trojanaires” (OK)
5A: Battle “Battalion”, Carthage “Soundwave”, Grain Valley “Valley Voices”, Neosho “Choraleers”, Oak Park “Oak Street Singers”, Platte County “Sound Express”
4A: Chillicothe “Choraliers”, Harrisonville “Music Makers”, Warrensburg “Soundwave”
3A: Cameron “Lights, Cameron, Action!”, Oak Grove “Impact”
2A: Carrollton “Ninth Street Singers”, Cole Camp “Encore”
Womens: Carthage “Suite Sounds”, Grain Valley “Amplified”, Jenks “Trojan Spirit” (OK), Neosho “Sugar and Spice”, Oak Grove “Radiance”, Oak Park “Treble FX”, Platte County “Sound Elegance”, Warrensburg “Prism”
Mens: Jenks “Airemen” (OK), Neosho “PhenoMENon”, Platte County “Sound Explosion”
Prep: Harrisonville “Forefront”
The first thing that catches the eye is the sheer volume at this competition. There are 26 groups attending across eight divisions. Add in three exhibition performances and six finalists, that’s 35 performances in one venue in one day. That’s certainly up there for the highest one-day, one-venue performance counts. If all goes according to schedule, Harrisonville Forefront will start the performances at 7:30 am and the last finalist will exit the stage at 10:30 pm. That’s a lot of show choir! Neosho enters as the favorite, as Choraleers have not lost to a Missouri group since 2021. Among the other contenders will be Jenks, who won the last competition of their 2024 season, Carthage, who was fourth last weekend at Blue Valley, and Platte County, who quietly put together a consistently impressive 2024. Other battles to watch include the traditional 4A battle of Harrisonville and Warrensburg, a brawl for the top of the womens division, and competitive debuts for the Grain Valley women and Jenks men.
Sauk Prairie Music Show Choir Invitational
The Lineup (groups from Wisconsin unless noted)
Mixed: Chesterton “Sandpipers” (IN), De Pere “Jam Session”, Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express” (IL), Eau Claire North “Northernaires”, Fort Atkinson “South High Street Singers”, Hamilton “Synergy”, Holmen “Midwest Express”, Janesville Craig “Spotlighters”, Mayville “Cardinal Singers”, Milton “Choralation”, New London “Vision”, Plymouth “Momentum”, Reedsburg “Choraliers”, Sparta “Upstage Adrenaline”, Tomah “Limited Edition”, Waconia “Power Company” (MN), Wahlert Catholic “Impulse” (IA), Waubonsie Valley “Sound Check” (IL)
Womens: Chesterton “Drifters” (IN), Fort Atkinson “Lexington Singers”, Milton “Octave Above”, Waconia “The Current”, Waubonsie Valley “Resonance”
If there was a nickel for every five-state competition occurring on January 25, 2025, there would be two nickels. It isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happening twice. The big out-of-state headliners, Chesterton and Waconia, both haven’t had the most successful starts to the season. Sandpipers debuted in fifth last weekend at Milton and PoCo has a fourth and fifth to its name. Both will look to bust out and set the tone for the rest of the season here. De Pere is the highest-placing returner from a year ago and is fresh off a win at New London last weekend. Sparta did not make finals at this competition a year ago but has a show that is multiple steps ahead of last year’s show. Hamilton was a finalist here last year and will be looking for redemption after a finals miss last week. Same goes for Holmen, which missed finals two weeks ago. Others with finals appearances so far this year include Milton, New London, and Tomah.
Wildcard: Johnston Showzam
The Lineup (all groups from Iowa)
4A: Dowling Catholic “Dimensions”, Linn-Mar “10th Street Edition”, Norwalk “Sound Revolution”, Urbandale “Studio”, Waukee Northwest “Eos”
3A: North Polk “Nexus”
Womens: Linn-Mar “Hi-Style”, Urbandale ”Affinity”
Prep : Linn-Mar ”In Step”, Norwalk ‘Sound Adrenaline”, Urbandale “Vitality”, Waukee Northwest “Aurora”, Waukee Prairieview “Velocity”
Full Preview: Johnston Showzam Promises a Top Three Showdown
Linn-Mar has not lost since the pandemic. Waukee Northwest is coming off a huge win over Johnston. Urbandale just placed the lowest it has in a decade. These three stories will converge and the podium choirs will be these three in some way, shape, or form. Behind them, Norwalk, Dowling Catholic, and North Polk will fight the prep groups for the last three finals spots in the daytime. The prep division is almost as interesting of a fight as the mixed division. Vitality, In Step, and Aurora have been three of the best in that division as of late.
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