The second weekend of March is considered the final hurrah for several major circuits, including the south, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Get a mix of season-ending contests and competitions in circuits with time left on the clock below.
Cosby Titan Tournament of Choirs
The Lineup (groups from Virginia unless noted)
A Mixed: Chesterton “Sandpipers” (IN), John Burroughs “Powerhouse” (CA), Troy Buchanan “Express” (MO), Troy Buchanan “Soundwave” (MO)
AA Mixed: Nitro “Showcats” (WV), Poquoson “Evolution”, Powhatan “Resonance”, Scranton “First Edition” (PA)
AAA Mixed: Goochland “Surround Sound”, Hanover “Sound FX”, Hillsborough “Legacy” (NJ), Voyager “Bull City Lights” (NC)
A Womens: Chesterton “Drifters” (IN), James River “Anything Goes”, John Burroughs “Sound Sensations”
AA Single-Gender: Douglas S. Freeman “Harmony in Motion”, Nitro “Tomcats” (WV), Matoaca “Up Front”, Powhatan “Radiance”
For a competition that did not exist two years ago, the Titan Tournament of Choirs is certainly living up to its name. John Burroughs is a top-five choir in the country right now, and they will meet an amalgamation of competitors from other circuits. Chesterton and Troy Buchanan are the competitors in mixed, and while Powerhouse is likely the favorite, an Express-Sandpipers matchup for second place will be solid. The fun doesn’t stop there, as middle mixed and small mixed are both three-state divisions as well. It’s an incredible eight-state lineup that also mostly spills over to the single-gender divisions on Friday night. Most of the heavy hitters will be going, save for Troy. They will also see Matoaca and Douglas S. Freeman, schools who are fielding only a womens group this year. Harmony in Motion has been on a roll this year, and they should be the best Virginia can offer against the slew of visitors from near and far.
Fairfield Crystal Classic
The Lineup (groups from Ohio unless noted)
Large Mixed: Loveland “By Request”, Marysville “Swingers Unlimited”, Olentangy “Keynotes”, Robert C. Byrd “Vocal Intensity” (WV)
Medium Mixed: Clover Hill “New Dimensions” (VA), Kenton “Top Twenty”, Musselman “Kaleidoscope” (WV), Twinsburg “Great Expectations”
Small Mixed: Edgewood “Choraliers”, Ross “Legacy”, Sheridan “Northern Stars”, South Dearborn “Opening Knight”, Whitehall-Yearling “Music Unlimited”
Large Womens: Loveland “Allure”, Olentangy “She-Notes”
Small Womens: Clover Hill “Iridescence” (VA), Mount Notre Dame “Jubilation”
Fairfield is down 14 high school groups from last year, falling from 31 attendees to 17, but the choirs that remain still pack enough of a punch to land it on Comps of the Week. Fairfield runs a dual-venue system, where choirs in large mixed, medium mixed and large womens compete in one venue for six finals spots and groups in small mixed and small womens compete in another venue for an additional six finals spots. This creates an interesting competition dynamic compared to some of the other competitions that run strictly a mixed finals and a womens finals. Ross is the returning winner of the event, but they were in large mixed last year and are entered in small mixed this year. That means they will be eligible for the second-venue finals and will not have a chance to defend their overall win. At the top, Loveland, Marysville and Olentangy will have an old-fashioned Ohio slugfest to take home the grand championship. Expect Allure and the She-Notes to factor in as well. Ross, Edgewood and South Dearborn are the leading contenders in a wide-open small mixed field, which returns only one finalist from last year.
Heart of America Nashville
The Lineup (groups from Indiana unless noted)
Mixed: Carroll “Magic”, Franklin Central “F.C. Singers”, Wheaton North “Flight” (IL)
Womens: Cathedral “Irish Adrenaline”, Carroll “Select Sound”, Franklin Central “High Voltage”, Tupelo “Synergy” (MS)
Open: Cathedral “Adrenaline Rush”, Greenfield-Central “Legacy”
While this is Heart of America Nashville, it may as well be Heart of America Indianapolis. Only two groups from outside the Hoosier State are signed up to attend. While this is certainly not the bloodbath that last year’s HOA Nashville featured, this competition also features a revamped finals strategy that takes six overall finalists instead of four mixed finalists and three womens finalists. Franklin Central may have a slightly less impressive resume than Center Grove and Carmel this year, they still have a resume that would kick the pants off several other circuits across the country. Wheaton North, Carroll Magic, FC High Voltage and Tupelo will be engaging in an all-out battle for the second spot on down. They will secure a majority of the finalist spots, leaving the sixth spot open for either Carroll Select Sound or one of the open mixed groups.
Tift County Peach State Invitational
The Lineup (groups from Georgia unless noted)
Large Mixed: Albertville “CenterStage!” (AL), Brandon “Brio” (MS), Oak Grove “Center Stage” (MS), Oak Mountain “Singers” (AL)
Small Mixed: Appling County “Applause”, Eufala “Vibe” (AL), Fitzgerald “Encore Unlimited”, North Paulding “EnChorus”, Rome “Grand Finale”, Tarpon Springs “Syndicated Sound” (FL)
Open Mixed: DeKalb “HighLeit”
Womens: Albertville “CenSations!” (AL), Brandon “Bellas” (MS), DeKalb “ProArte”, Oak Mountain “The Muses” (AL)
Peach State continues to hold court as one of the leading competitions in the south to close out the season. Oak Mountain and Brandon come in ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in our large mixed southern poll rankings. The battle should be very tight. Oak Grove and Albertville have both been groups that have won a couple surprise placements this year, making the third-place battle also interesting. While the small mixed and single-gender groups do not have the option to make finals since Tift County does not have finals, they will both be competitive in their own right. Small mixed is mostly a collection of groups that have run eclectic circuits this year, and at least a couple groups will come out with their best result of the season. The womens division will again be a Brandon and Oak Mountain battle, with The Muses coming in favored.
Wildcard: Millard North Galaxy of the Stars
Nebraska wraps up their competition season this weekend (save for some scattered jazz festivals), and Galaxy of the Stars features several groups hungry for one last shot at glory!
The Lineup (groups from Nebraska unless noted)
Mixed: Elkhorn South “Blackout”, Lewis Central “Corporation” (IA), Lincoln Northeast “Voices ‘N Harmony”, Norfolk “Velocity”, Omaha South “The Ambassadors”, Pius X “Spectrum”, Ralston “RUSH”
Womens: Elkhorn South “Shockwave”, Lewis Central “Company” (IA), Omaha South “Amplify”, Pius X “Prism”, Ralston “Runway”
Prep: Aquinas “Forte”, Elkhorn South “Power Surge”, Lincoln Northeast “Dynamix”
While this one does not feature any of the Nebraska groups that have been in the week-in, week-out spotlight this year, several quality groups are still lined up to hit the stage. Pius has multiple wins this year, Elkhorn South claimed their first win of the season last weekend, Omaha South claimed their first win ever last season, and Lincoln Northeast claimed their first win since 2015 in February. Oh, and throw in western Iowa choir Lewis Central in for good measure. Spectrum, Blackout and The Ambassadors have all matched up tightly so far this season, and all three won last weekend. That in and of itself makes it an almost completely unpredictable top three, and that’s not even accounting for potential pop-offs from Voices ‘N Harmony and Corporation. The last finalist spot seems to be headed towards Shockwave, but some other groups could sneak in as well.
It may take a little bit to recover from the time leap ahead this weekend, but when you’re all settled, come right back here for all the analysis on how these competitions finished out!
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