Three Competitions Fill Missouri Show Choir This Weekend

By Anne Marie Wright, Heartland contributor

This is a huge weekend for show choir in Missouri. In a rare occurrence, there will be three competitions taking place this weekend in the state. Up north, choirs will compete at the Platte County Showcase of Excellence, then farther south, choirs will compete at Carthage Soundfest, and in the extreme southern reaches of the state, there is the Hollister Show Choir Invitational. These three competitions will encompass the vast majority of all Heartland choirs in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Providing the northern excitement is the Platte County Showcase of excellence, located just north of Kansas City in Platte City. Platte County always has a large turnout for their showcase, and this year is no exception. They have 17 choirs in the lineup, and they are divided into a prep division (including prep and single-clef choirs), 3A, 4A, and 5A.

Prep Division

-        Webb City "Bella Voce"

-        Smith-Cotton "Broadway Velocity"

-        Grain Valley "Amplified"

-        Webb City "DoMENance"

-        Blue Valley "Classic Blend"

3A Division

-        Cameron "Lights, Cameron, Action!"

-        Carrollton "Ninth Street Singers"

-        Maryville "Spectrum"

4A Division

-        Hannibal "River City Revue"

5A Division:

-        Grain Valley "Valley Voices"

-        Hickman "Harmonix"

-        Burke "Synergy"

-        Smith-Cotton "New Score Singers"

-        Battle "Battalion"

-        Webb City "Singers"

-        Blue Valley "Chamber Singers"

Blue Valley has been on a hot streak of late and is the favorite to win. Webb City has amassed three wins this season and should be a solid contender as well. Smith-Cotton is coming off its first win in a decade last weekend and is looking to recreate the magic. Hannibal, a 4A choir, also has an overall win to its credit this season. Outside of those groups, Hickman has been the most consistent this season. Finals will likely be rounded out by the top group of the prep division.

Several of the western Missouri choirs will gather in Carthage this weekend. On Friday, Soundfest will host nine middle school groups, and on Saturday, they will host 13 groups from across the state.

Mens Division

-        Pleasant Hill "Powerhouse"

-        Neosho "Phenomenon"

Womens Division

-        Neosho "Sugar and Spice"

-        Pleasant Hill "Hilltop Harmony"

-        Nevada "Treble Effects"

-        Warrensburg "Prism"

3A Division

-        East Newton "Patriot Singers"

-        Mt. Vernon "Vocal Motion"

4A Division

-        Nevada "Soundsational Singers"

-        McDonald County "Rhapsody ‘N Rhythm"

-        Pleasant Hill "Hillside Singers"

-        Warrensburg "Soundwave"

5A Division

-        Neosho "Choraleers"

Neosho will look to wrap up their in-state season with another triumph, but behind them, second place and beyond is anyone's game.

Attracting a different set of groups is the Hollister Show Choir Invitational. A slightly smaller competition, Hollister has an open division and a separate middle school division. There will be nine choirs total including the middle school division.

Open Division

-        Lexington Pitch Slapped (Womens)

-        Green Ridge Harmony (Mixed)

-        Smithton Legacy (Mixed)

-        Lexington Testostertones (Mens)

-        Cassville Center Stage (Mixed)

-        El Dorado Springs Sound Collage (Mixed)

-        Cole Camp Encore (Mixed)

-        Lexington Southern Accents (Mixed)

Middle School Division

-        El Dorado Springs Sound Investment

Lexington, the lone Oklahoma program here, is the defending winner of the contest. Green Ridge is the returning second-place group, and Cassville was third last year. Since all of these choirs are programs that don't usually make finals, the win is wide open for anyone. El Dorado Springs may be a choir to keep an eye on.

This weekend is huge for the Heartland show choir scene, with a total of 47 choirs competing in the state of Missouri! It’s nice that the comps are all spread out around the state, allowing for the divisions to be much more diverse than usual. Choirs are competing with groups they don’t see many times throughout the season, which makes for exciting competition and toss-ups for the top scores of the day. It all combines for a key late-season bonanza for all involved.