The show choir season in New England will begin this upcoming weekend, and the buzz around the community is brewing. After a successful 2024 season, many changes took place in the circuit and New England choirs are ready to jump back into the action. From the current looks of it, most show designs are evenly split with a mixture of traditional shows, themed sets and story shows. This always makes for a unique standpoint of allowing groups to experience all forms of show choir.Â
Change is immediate to start the season. Shepherd Hill High School will be hosting the first competition of the year, the Central Massachusetts Show Choir Festival, on February 1st. Lowell opted not to host its Mill City Show Choir Festival, traditionally the first event on the calendar, due to auditorium renovations happening this year.
 In addition to Shepherd Hill hosting their competition first this year, some other other big changes within the circuit include the following:
Evan Caverly is the new director at Lowell.
Stephen Todd is the new director at Lowell.
Brian McCalister is the new director at Lowell.
Dominic Matas has been added to the Tantasqua choreography team.
TJ Clifford and Emma Lemke are the new Oliver Ames directors.
Tara Tober and Jacob Jay Jones are the new Shepherd Hill Illusion choreographers.
Leominster will be hosting its first-ever competition, the Flamingo Show Choir Festival on March 8th
Each season brings its groups that rise to the top - here are a few that should be moving up the standings a bit in 2025.
Scranton "First Edition"Â
The group had a successful 2024 season in New England and Virginia small mixed divisions.
They are continuing to grow as program, will this mean they will move up to large mixed in coming years?Â
Their girls group, Glitter and Gold, is making a return in 2025.
Lowell "Sound Impressions"Â
Lowell's creative team is entirely new, and brings fresh blood to the region with choreographer Stephen Todd and arranger Brian McCallister.
Sound Impressions is slated to have a themed set instead of tackling a story show, which will help during this year of transition.
There is a focus on rebuilding a brand of excellence. Lowell in recent years sometimes had overcomplicated show design, and going back to basics is necessary as they re-learn how to make their mark in New England.
Oliver Ames "Panache"
The new directors are alumni who know the ins and outs of this prestigious program. In return, this will help foster a distinct knowledge base of how the program should be run. It will be the beginning of a new era for Panache this year.
They have continuous post-pandemic growth - from becoming a single-gender group in 2022 to getting their numbers back and jumping into the thick of the small mixed division.Â
Panache has an aim to reclaim their reputation in New England, which was built under the direction of Charleyne Darymple for almost 40 years. Panache was known for excellent vocal technique and a distinct style of show choir.Â
Some of choirs that are coming in hungry for a successful season include:
Daniel Hand "VIBE"
This will be their 25th season as a competitive show choir. Their set will be revolving around the story of legendary female pirate Anne Bonny.Â
All eyes are on them as they go to Show Choir Nationals in March. They have not been to Nashville since 2018, where they placed 12th. VIBE will attempt to make its name known on a national scale, and with constant feedback from competitions before SCN, they will not go down without a fight.Â
Waltham "Music Unlimited"
Music Unlimited will be competing at Franklin Central this February. It's the first time they will compete in the Midwest.
Waltham took a risk by doing a more heavily themed show last season. This paid off for them specifically towards the end of year, as they continued to visually tweak their show. Because of this, they did not plateau once. Their continued success and consistency has allowed them to remain in one of the top spots in New England for the past six years. They are not going to be slowing down by any means.Â
There has been excitement revolving around being in a brand-new high school with state-of-the-art facilities to rehearse in.Â
Tantasqua "ENCORE!"
Their show this year is rumored to be a full-fledged story set with a more intricate design that has not been seen by them before.Â
This will be the second season with head director Bryce French at the helm. French brings big ideas to the program and is committed to rebuilding not just the show choir program, but also the concert choir program at Tanty.
A familiar face will return to Tantasqua this year. Choreographer Dominic Matas had worked previously with Tantasqua back in 2020 and 2021.Â
In addition to Shepherd Hill, two other competitions to be on the lookout for this upcoming season are:
Bishop Hendricken Lil’ Rhody Rumble (Mar. 14th and 15th)
The Rhody Rumble will feature 27 groups this year, making it one of the largest (perhaps the largest) event in the region this year.
Reigning small mixed champion Western New York will return. Other out-of-region visitors include Hillsborough from New Jersey and Pendleton Heights from Indiana.
Despite it being a relatively recent addition to the calendar, the Rumble has quickly become a favorite for the New England show choir community.
Waltham Eastern Massachusetts Show Choir Festival (Apr. 5th)
Manteno Magic, a grand champion choir from Illinois, will make its first venture to New England when they compete at Waltham this year. They are expected to compete in the large mixed division.
Waltham’s competition is usually the one that most groups take the most seriously. Since it is the last New England competition of the year, everyone puts their all into their sets. Because of this, spectators and choirs alike always have a fabulous time as the season comes to a close.Â
Overall, the New England show choir community is continuing to grow and rebuild post-pandemic. With a lot of time, patience, love of music and competitive spirit, the community will bring back the level of excellence it once had. Many are looking forward to what this season will bring and hopefully will be one of the best yet.