The middle of February begins to be the time where some seasons are winding down, some seasons are starting up, and some seasons are right in the thick of things! What does that mean? Show choir battles across the land for all to enjoy.
Chesterton Trojan Classic
The Lineup (groups from Indiana unless noted)
Large Mixed: Brandon “Brio” (MS), Carmel “Ambassadors”, Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express” (IL), Marysville “Swingers Unlimited” (OH), Northrop “Charisma”, Wheaton North “Flight” (IL)
Small Mixed: Alan B. Shepard “Nova” (IL), BEAT “Amplitude”, Herscher “Class Act” (IL), Norwell “Knight Moves”, Peotone “Powerhouse” (IL), Twin Lakes “Sound Wave”
Large Womens: Brandon “Bellas” (MS), Carmel “Accents”, Northrop “Allure”
Small Womens: Mother MacAuley “Mac Melody” (IL), Norwell “Knight Stars”
The best of several show choir circuits collide on the southern coasts of Lake Michigan, where the Trojan Classic will take five mixed finalists and three womens finalists. Of the large mixed groups, Carmel took vocals and choreography away from Franklin Central last weekend at Pike, and Marysville is three-for-three so far this season. Brandon burst into the win column last weekend at Northeast Jones, while Wheaton North suffered an uncharacteristic loss at the hands of El Paso-Gridley. The order that these four groups finish in will be anybody’s guess, but it’s a safe bet that those will be the top four. The last finals spot is really up for grabs, from show choir returnee Dwight D. Eisenhower to Fort Worth-area program Northrop to anybody in the small mixed division who wants to take it. Womens finals, while likely headed by Carmel Accents, should see some good battles as well.
Davenport Central Great River Show Choir Invitational
The Lineup (groups from Iowa unless noted)
Mixed: Bettendorf “Surround Sound”, Cedar Rapids Jefferson “West Side Delegation”, Clinton “River Royalty”, Craig “Spotlighters” (WI), Davenport North “Northside Establishment”, Johnston “Innovation”, Lewis Central “Corporation”, Liberty “Storm”, Mitchell “Friend de Coup” (SD), Mundelein “Sound” (IL), Western Dubuque “5th Avenue”
Womens: Cedar Rapids Jefferson “Ovation”, Davenport North “Center Stage”, Johnston “Bella Voce”, Lewis Central “Company”
Prep: Johnston “Synergy”, Liberty “Impact”, Mundelein “Reverb”
While only three groups are coming to Great River from outside the state of Iowa, the in-state lineup is a mix of quantity and depth that is rarely seen from choirs of just one state. From the local area, Davenport North came up just short last week at Keokuk, but they will remain a threat to make the evening round. From Cedar Rapids, West Side Delegation will look to clear a number of similar choirs and make finals as well. From Iowa City, Liberty is just coming off a nice placing over Southeast Polk last week. From Des Moines, Johnston just took a tough loss at Urbandale, but will look to bounce back strong. From the western edge of the state, Lewis Central will look to avenge not making finals at North Polk. Add that to the out-of-state groups, and it’s a mega field. Mundelein just nabbed a caption off Chesterton last weekend, and Mitchell will be out in force after going winless so far this season. The Great River finals, already great by the quality of choirs in the round, will be enhanced by the Adler Theatre setting, providing an even more memorable experience.
Tupelo King City Classic
The Lineup (groups from Mississippi unless noted)
Mixed: Auburn “Varsity Singers” (AL), Grenada “Visions”, Jackson Academy “Encore”, Jackson Prep “Reveillon”, Madison Central “Reveille”, Oak Grove “Center Stage”
Single-Gender: Auburn “Elan”, Auburn “Men at Work”, Madison Central “Renown”
Tupelo’s inaugural King City Classic has drawn exclusively from the South’s large groups, and several enter the event with impressive resumes. Auburn is undefeated so far this season. Jackson Academy beat Brandon to start off the season. Grenada made a big splash in a crowded JASI field and finished third. Oak Grove made finals at the Mississippi Show Choir Contest, the first time they have done so in a long time. On the flip side, Jackson Prep and Madison Central, while both have made finals this season, perhaps haven’t had quite as much success so far as they would have hoped. The field, while on the smaller side of competitions featured in this column, presents so many storylines that it’s almost impossible to predict which way it will go. Will Grenada continue their rise and capture it all? Will Auburn continue an undefeated season? Will Jackson Academy continue to slay giants this season? The answer to one of these questions will likely be ‘yes’ by the conclusion of the competition.
Wildcard: Omaha South Classic
With wins in both the Instagram and X polls, Omaha South is the final Competition of the Week this week!
The Lineup (groups from Nebraska unless noted)
Mixed: Bellevue East “Take II”, Elkhorn “Excel”, Fort Worth Southwest “Southwest Effect” (TX), Millard West “Uptown”, Millard West “West in the Groove”, Omaha North “Explosion!”, Pius X “Spectrum”, Ralston “RUSH”
Womens: Bryan “Surround Sound”, Marian “Momentum”, Mercy “Treblemakers”, Pius X “Prism”
Prep: Buena Vista “L Street Singers”, Millard West “Swing Cats”
The Classic sees four of its six finalists from 2023 depart, with fifth-place Elkhorn and sixth-place Fort Worth Southwest returning. A cadre of groups come to take their places, including two Millard West groups in the main division. This was done so that Uptown could be considered for finals. Pius is a breakout group of the Nebraska scene, and while they may not be ready to win this competition, should make some pretty big noise here. Fort Worth Southwest will be debuting here, and all signs point to a rise in their placement from last year. One of either Bellevue East, Ralston, or Elkhorn will make finals. Whoever takes the sixth finalist spot will gain a feather in their cap over two choirs of a similar skill level right now.
Comments