A national championship and the close of the New England season raced by on Saturday, crowning five high school choirs as winners in division for the final time this season.
Show Choir Canada Championships
The Results
Community Groups: 1st) Music Academy of Western New York “SHOUT”, 2nd) FAME School of the Performing Arts “FAME”, 3rd) Strike It Up Artistic Center “Vocal Motion”
High Schools: 1st) St. George’s “G Major”, 2nd) Pickering “Euphonix”, 3rd) Beaconsfield “Crescendo”
Two weeks after claiming first in small mixed at Bishop Hendricken, SHOUT rolled into Canada (actually a closer drive for them than Hendricken) and took first place in the marquee community group division. Show Choir Canada has been a staple event for the group since its inception in 2019, and it is very rewarding to see them ascend to the top of the mountain. FAME made its first appearance at the championships since 2017, and a second place is a nice showing for them. Strike It Up hit the show choir stage for the first time, with the Rochester, New York-based group bringing an extra-American flair to the competition. In the regular high school division, St. George’s claimed its third consecutive division win, dating back to 2022.
Waltham Eastern Show Choir Festival
The Results
Large Mixed: 1st) Mt. Zion “Swingsations” (BV/BC), 2nd) Tantasqua “ENCORE!”, 3rd) Shepherd Hill “Fantasy”
Small Mixed: 1st) Natick “West Street Singers” (BV/BC), 2nd) Leominster “Ignition”, 3rd) Dartmouth “Dynamix”
Single-Gender: 1st) Mt. Zion “Les Femmes” (BV/BC), 2nd) Mt. Zion “You’ve Got Male”, 3rd) Shepherd Hill “Illusion”
The focus coming into the event was on the out-of-region visitors, and the results show that the hype was justified. Swings was the only group at the competition to garner a gold medal, outpacing all local competitors. Les Femmes and YGM claimed the top two spots in the single-gender division, meaning that no New England group could beat any MTZ choir. The other main shining star of this competition was Tantasqua. Encore has seen several different directors in the past few years, with 2024 being Bryce French’s first with the group. Their show choir-themed show had never broken past third place this year until a strong showing at Waltham, which is the closest Tanty is to a win since they took second and Best Vocals at Bishop Hendricken last year. In miscellaneous notes, Shepherd Hill came home with a pair of third-place finishes and Natick completed yet another multiple-win season.
There is still plenty of show choir to go across the country this season. The next Comps of the Week column will have it all!
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