In honor of St. Valentine's Day, members of the HomeRoom Show Choir team share some of their favorite parts about the show choir season so far!
William Soquet, Editor: I love Lincoln, Nebraska. Lincoln Southwest has been on top of the world so far with their Chicken Little-themed show. They have rolled to three straight grand championships to being the season and will run the gauntlet the rest of the season. Additionally, Lincoln East has shown that they are here to stay. Even with alumni and former director Aaron Zart leaving the program, Express has stepped up and won twice this year, including a signature sweep over Mitchell Friend de Coup on Feb. 3. Any questions about their longevity should be quieted as well. Additionally, Pius X has found a breath of fresh life with the leadership of Edgar Estrada as director and Braxton Carr as choreographer, taking home a sweep win at Elkhorn. Lincoln Northeast recently won for the first time since 2015 at Northwest Missouri State. Additionally, Lincoln Northwest First Class is finding its feet in its second year as a group under Jon Marquez and Lauren Breed, and Lincoln Standing Bear secured former Norris director Hunter Boe for their competition debut in 2025 or 2026. There’s a lot going on in the Capital City, and I am here for it all!
Ella, Illinois contributor: I love the 2024 show choir season because of the resurgence of incredible womens groups! With Tift County Ladies Choice defeating their mixed group Eighth Street Singing Company at the Albertville Diamond Classic on Feb. 3, girls groups are back on top! Other groups such as Tupelo Synergy are coming in ready to give large mixed groups a run for their money, and the Brandon Bellas placed just under their mixed group Brandon Brio. Treble groups are back with a vengeance! More appearances of treble groups in finals occur not just in the South, but in Midwest regions too. Wheaton Warrenville South Esprit placed fourth overall at their last two competitions, placing over multiple large mixed groups. I am very excited to see how these grows continue to grow not only in this season, but through the years as well. I believe womens groups are getting much more attention not only from viewers, but from creative teams as well. While mixed groups traditionally take more notice from directors and choreographers, more of that has shifted to their womens groups. Although finals have not always been the kindest to womens groups, as of recent years there is a bigger push to judge womens and prep groups on the same footing as mixed groups in finals. I am very excited to see how the season shakes out with more womens groups taking spots in finals and hopefully more surprises in placements going forward!
Simon Zimmerman, Ohio contributor: I love showchoir.com. Though the website has seen its fair share of difficulties with slow loading times and server overload throughout the year, it remains one of the best sites of its kind, providing a central place for performers, fans, and anyone else involved in show choir to find information quickly.
MJ Breen, New England contributor: I love the feeling of groups getting better year after year. Since the revival of school life after the pandemic, most programs have raised the bar for excellence in all areas of the activity. The vocal and choreography capacity of some groups of recent are on par with professional Broadway performances. Choirs like Los Alamitos Sound FX and Linn-Mar 10th Street Edition have taken many headlines this year. It makes it more exciting each time you see a performance and wonder what’s in store next. Also, more of a niche opinion, but I love the shift in choreographers among groups. It feels refreshing to see more new collaborative efforts with the artistic direction staffs in the community and willingness to try something new for the students.
Chris Mendoza, California contributor: I love the competitiveness of this season. Across each region, there’s style changes, upsets, and close calls. Every week gives way to interesting results. Show choir is better than ever, groups this year did not come to play around. The hard-fought battles are making each win feel that much sweeter!
Tony Holeman, Southern contributor: I love the uniquely artistic yet competitive nature of show choir itself. There really is nothing else truly like it out there. You have theatre, choir, and other artistic departments, but there isn’t any other branch that truly does bring out the nature of competition that show choir does. Between the emotions on stage, waiting throughout the day, and the awards themselves, the highs and lows for such a form of art seems unparalleled. Those competition weekends are what brings the light for many current and former performers, including myself.
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