A much-anticipated matchup at Music Lives drew choirs from five states, making the event a bit of a national affair. Gretna Revolution, last year's winner, was not in attendance, meaning another group would step up and take home the gold.
Prep Division
Grand Champion: Westside “Warrior Express”
1st Runner Up: Millard North “Intensity”
2nd Runner Up: Smith-Cotton “Broadway Velocity”
The highlight here is Warrior Express, who claimed their second consecutive division win after also triumphing at Blue Valley last weekend.
Womens Division
Grand Champion: Brandon “Bellas”
1st Runner Up: Westside “Simply Irresistible”
2nd Runner Up: Millard North “Illumination”
It was a tossup between Brandon and Westside, and the former took it this time. The last time the two womens groups competed against each other was in 2023, when Westside beat Brandon group. Millard North still gave both groups one heck of a fight with their Wednesday Adams show. Not in the placements were quality groups like Aberdeen Central Special Request, Lewis Central Company, and Omaha South Amplify.
Final Results
Grand Champion: Westside “Amazing Technicolor Show Choir” (BV/BC)
1st Runner Up: Brandon “Brio”
2nd Runner Up: Omaha South “The Ambassadors” (BB)
3rd Runner Up: Millard North “Infinity”
4th Runner Up: Brandon “Bellas”
5th Runner Up: Aberdeen Central “Eagle Express”
Hilariously, Aberdeen Central was not the group that traveled the farthest to Millard West, even though they had to ride a bus for nearly six hours. That, combined with a competition day that ran a bit behind schedule, led to Eagle Express hopping on the bus and driving away before final awards. Their Nostradamus-themed show was visibly better here than at Sioux Falls Jefferson, but due to the scale of this competition, they took home sixth, the lowest they’ve scored since 2019.
Bellas was not done shining after winning the womens division. They continued to prove that they came to play by having a stylish Bridezilla-themed show.
After competing at Gretna last weekend, Infinity and The Ambassadors switched spots this time, with the latter taking Best Band in finals. There’s a lot to love about both shows. Infinity uses their Copacabana theme to tell a love story, while The Ambassadors explored Latin music and sang in multiple languages. Both groups have to compete against each other once more at the Papillion-La Vista South Classic on February 8.
Traveling 13 hours and over 850 miles, Brio's show explored the '"Greatest Of All Time” in terms of artists. With songs from the likes of Elton John, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, and more, Brio continues their style of mixing things up a lot and impressing the audience.
In a way, the 2025 Amazing Technicolor Show Choir (ATSC) show is very poetic. Their show is about moving forward and keeping an eye on the future. This year is ATSC director Doran Johnson's last season with the group after directing at Westside for over 20 years. There’s the literal meaning of the show, preparing for the future in the face of adversity, but then there is the subtle meaning of Johnson moving on from ATSC. It’s awe-inspiring and seeing this portrayed in his last show is incredibly remarkable. This alone is not why ATSC won. Their powerful vocals dominated the show, with their ballad bringing a few audience members to tears, and their choreography is consistently stylish. It’s the culmination of 25 years of hard work, reminding audiences that while moving on is scary, everything will be okay—an absolute triumph of a show.
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