As bittersweet as it was, this past weekend’s events marked the end of the southern show choir circuit for the 2024 season (as far as the southern-held competitions go). As always, we’ll take a look at the results and what they mean up until this point. We’ll also point out a few groups who, despite the southern season being over, still have an event or two planned somewhere else across the country.
TIFT COUNTY PEACH STATE INVITATIONAL
(@carsenflowers)
The most anticipated matchup of the weekend swung in the favor of Brandon, who, with both their mixed and single-gender groups, topped their main opponent in Oak Mountain. This marks Brandon’s second Grand Championship this year as they close up their 2024 season, while Oak Mountain still has one more competition down the road. Oak Grove rounded out the bunch in third overall, as Albertville was a late drop from the competition. Appling County brought home one win for the home state in middle mixed, followed by Tarpon Springs from Florida and then a few more Georgia choirs. Results are below (no finals):
1st in Large Mixed) Brandon “Brio” (BV/BC)
2nd in Large Mixed) Oak Mountain “Singers” (Show Design)
3rd in Large Mixed) Oak Grove “Center Stage”
1st in Single Gender) Brandon “Bellas”
1st in Middle Division) Appling County “Applause”
BILOXI GULF COAST CLASSIC
(@koreyrain)
It was almost a unanimous opinion going in that Petal would win. Petal did end up winning this competition, but it was tougher than many people expected. Keller Central came all the way from Texas and placed second overall at this competition, taking Best Vocals away from Petal. Northwest Rankin took third and fourth with The Ambassadors and The Allure, followed by the Petal Innovations in fifth to make finals a three-school affair. Northeast Jones stood their ground and showed why they are considered by some to be the top middle division group in the south as they finished off their impressive season with another win in division. West Marion solidified their spot as top small division group in Mississippi with another nail-biter victory over Pisgah, Laurel, and others in the small division category. Finals was an interesting round for the womens groups, as NWR flipped the script on Petal, who won the division in prelims. Final results are below:
GC) Petal “Soundsations” (BC/Show Design)
1RU) Keller Central “Voices of Central” (BV)
2RU) Northwest Rankin “The Ambassadors”
3RU) Northwest Rankin “The Allure”
4RU) Petal “Innovations”
1st in Single-Gender) Petal “Innovations”
1st in Middle Mixed) Northeast Jones “Gold Horizons”
1st in Small Mixed) West Marion “New Era”
While they did not place as high as they wanted, it is worth mentioning that Tupelo placed second in their division and fifth overall at the Heart of America Nashville competition this past weekend. Congratulations to Tupelo on this placement and another amazing season!
LOOKING FORWARD
Well folks, there you have it: the 2024 southern competition season. Since Brandon Show Choir Elite is not happening this year, there are now no more competitions left in the south. We had plenty of astounding upsets, surging groups, unexpected placements, and amazing shows to keep us watching all along. Yet there still are a few groups traveling out of the southern region to complete this competition season and wrap up their year. All eyes will be on these groups as they go out and represent the region all across the country. The list will be included below with the competition, associated southern group(s), date, and location. I, along with the entire southern circuit, would like to wish these groups good safe travels on their journeys! For one last time this year, good luck to all the competing groups, and happy show choir season y’all!
Upcoming Events:
Heart of America Orlando (Orlando, Fla.), March 16
- Clinton “Attache”
- Madison Central “Reveille”
Andover New England Show Choir Showdown (Andover, Mass.), March 16th
- Auburn “Varsity Singers”, "Elan", and "Men at Work"
Marysville Showcase (Marysville, Ohio), March 16th
- Petal “Soundsations” and "Innovations"
Show Choir Nationals (Nashville, Tenn.), March 21st-23rd
- Oak Mountain “Singers” and "The Muses"
- Grenada “Visions”
- Jackson Academy “Encore”