2026 Show Choir Nationals Preview
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Show Choir Nationals has good years, great years and insane years. While this may not be the most stacked lineup in Nationals history, it's still a packed lineup with plenty of stories to tell! Each and every group will hit the Grand Ole Opry stage between Thursday and Saturday to take the truest form of a 'national championship' available today in the world of show choir.
Nationals offers a unique three-day structure. Single-gender groups compete on Thursday evening, and mixed preliminaries are during the day on Friday. The top six mixed groups will advance to finals, which occur on Saturday morning.
A total of 19 groups will compete this week. Here are their stories.
Mixed Groups
Alabama
Homewood “The Network”
This year has been full of extreme highs and lows for Homewood. Their first competition of the year resulted in a shocking loss to West Jones to begin their competition season. However, after sweeping Avon two weeks later, Homewood then proceeded to win the Southern competition of the year at Auburn over groups like Oak Mountain, Grenada, and many others. While they still seem to be on their upside, Nationals is no easy feat. While The Network is expected to make finals here, their final placement will serve as the last verdict on how Homewood’s 2026 season pans out in total. - Tony Holeman, Southern Contributor
Ohio
Findlay “First Edition”
The 2026 season marks a return to SCN for one of Ohio’s most storied programs, who previously attended and made finals at every SCN between 2018-2024. FFE is in a good position to resume their finals streak this year; they have two sweeps (including one over second-ranked Ohio group Solon) to their name, though their loss to Grove City two weeks ago does raise some questions. A finals placement here would be a coup for Findlay’s second-year creative team, consisting of directors David and Mary Beth Coolidge and choreographers Joe Sato and Cecily Pedregon, and would be a great step for the group as it looks to regain its footing as one of Ohio’s top show choirs. - Simon Zimmerman, Ohio contributor
Loveland “By Request”
Loveland has put together a 2026 season that has been nothing short of amazing. By Request so far has two GCs to their name this season, including a signature win over Zionsville, Millard West, and Brandon at Fairfield, as well as several other solid placements, though for the most part they have remained behind top Ohio groups like Marysville and Solon. Loveland will look to build on these with a finals placement at SCN to end their season, and that is most definitely an achievable goal. Their likeliest path to reaching it is through their choreography - By Request has always been known for their visuals - and so watch for them to potentially dance their way to a finals spot. - Simon Zimmerman, Ohio contributor
Indiana
Brownsburg “Spotlight Singers & Company”
Brownsburg will make their first Show Choir Nationals return since they missed the final day of competition in 2024 due to a scoring error. Their season got off to a rocky start following a time penalty that disqualified them from finals at Kenton despite being first in prelims. Spotlight had better results in their next two competitions, taking third at Franklin Central and sweeping the Avon Vocal Invitational. Once again, Brownsburg brings a compelling and strong show to the stage in 2026 with their “Hotel California” show, which excellently combines welcoming and mysterious tones throughout. - Nathan Ensley, Associate Editor
Carroll “Magic”
The 2026 season has been a bit of a rollercoaster for Carroll. A season–opening sweep at Northrop was followed by a finals miss at Chesterton. That, in turn, was followed by a pair of runner-up finishes, placing second to Carmel at Northridge and Center Grove at Mt. Zion, respectively. A late withdrawal from Jay County and a dropped vocals caption to Chesterton at Norwell concluded their regular season, leaving Carroll’s spot among Nationals’ Indiana contingent uncertain. Magic will certainly bring the theatrics and production value, but shoring up their technique both vocally and visually could be a way to punch their ticket to Saturday’s finals round. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief
Center Grove “Sound System”
The 2024 Show Choir Nationals champions are returning in top form, finishing the last two seasons undefeated and winning their first five competitions this year. Center Grove has swept every vocal and visual caption this season, including wins over Ohio powerhouse Marysville and Indy rivals Franklin Central and Zionsville. Lead soloist Ethan Wood will look to command the Grand Ole Opry stage as the Phantom of the Opera, with three Best Soloist awards already this season. Center Grove is known for their powerful vocals that fill every auditorium and will be the group to beat at this year’s edition of Nationals. - Nathan Ensley, Indiana contributor
Fishers “Electrum”
Fishers makes their second trip in as many weeks outside of Indiana to compete at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time in the program's history. They will face an uphill battle, as they will encounter many familiar faces along the way to the finals. They have been right in the fight with some of the best groups in Indy, with three second-place finishes coming at the hands of some of the best vocal groups in the country. They will be in the mix for those coveted finals spots and have a real shot to be competing near the front come the end of the day on Friday and Saturday, although they will have to contend with several other Indy groups along the way. - Will Kaiser, Indiana Contributor
North Central “Counterpoints”
The 2018 Show Choir Nationals champions will be making their return to the event for the first time since 2023 and their first appearance under Jared McElroy, who is in his second year running the program following the retirement of Michael Raunick. The Counterpoints have won three grand championships this season and have won Best Vocals three times as well. Throughout the season, they have competed across Central Indiana and performed well, outplacing Plainfield, Fishers, and defendingISSMA state champion Avon Accents to place on the podium at all five of their competitions. This year, the Counterpoints will bring an emotional show about how special home can be and look to improve upon their fifth-place finish at Nationals in 2023. - Nathan Ensley, Associate Editor
Illinois
Glenwood “Titan Fever”
Biannual SCN visitor and 2015 champion Glenwood Titan Fever enters the Opry as a much-improved group from their last visit back in 2024, now sporting much larger numbers and more refined visuals thanks to the addition of Matt Watson to the choreography team. Even with those improvements, however, Titan Fever will have an uphill battle to make a finals spot due in most part to the sheer number of highly competitive groups. However, if there is one group that knows how to find that fire at SCN, it is Titan Fever, and this is a fantastic opportunity to turn some heads after missing finals at a tough Brownsburg competition last weekend. - Dylan Moss, Illinois contributor
Mississippi
Grenada “Visions”
Grenada’s results, if just glanced over, certainly do not tell the tale of their season. With unfortunate and crazy scenarios at JASI that greatly affected results both there and at Tupelo, many question marks were being raised around the group’s season. However, they were able to get their feet underneath them at a heavily-contested Auburn competition and walk away with an impressive third, given the event’s strength. Despite another loss at Biloxi, Grenada still has the ability to place as high as they want to. Knowing what they are capable of makes this group a true wild-card at a stacked event such as Nationals. - Tony Holeman, Southern Contributor
Tennessee
Donelson Christian “Legacy”
With a large division win under their belt, Donelson Christian Academy enters this competition under the radar for most. Having competed in both the South and the Midwest this season, Legacy has seen their share of miles in 2026. They will tack on a mere seven miles on the drive to the Grand Ole Opry, where they are unlikely to challenge for a finals spot but will show the rest of the country that Tennessee is fertile ground for show choir as well . -Tony Holeman, Southern Contributor
Texas
Southlake Carroll “The SLC”
SLC is a relative newcomer to the show choir scene, only beginning their journey a mere five years ago. Founding director Jen Randall left the group after last season to take a role in school administration, and former Keller Central assistant Casey LeVie took the reins. Carroll’s program also expanded to two groups this year, with a womens group, The Carrollers, joining the fun. While The SLC hasn’t placed at either of its two competition appearances yet this season, their show includes selections from sources everywhere from musicals Waitress and Dear Evan Hansen to indie/alt band Lake Street Dive to pop star Doechii, giving everyone in attendance something they can enjoy.
Womens Groups
Alabama
Homewood “Nexus”
A stellar season for the womens group from Homewood makes them an immediate contender at this event. Having only lost to one of the top-ranked Southern single-gender groups (Oak Mountain) and winning their division twice aside from that, Homewood can compete at a high enough level to place in the top groups in this division. It won’t be easy, though, as making the top three in single-gender tier will have to include beating four or so other extremely talented groups. -Tony Holeman, Southern contributor
Ohio
Loveland “Allure”
Allure is one of Ohio’s most solid womens groups this season; they’ve made overall finals twice (including a third-place finish overall at South Dearborn), and won in a decently tough single-gender field at Beavercreek. However, Allure has for the most part remained behind Ohio’s top womens groups (like Marysville and Fairfield), though they did beat out solid womens groups from Brandon and Millard West to make single-gender finals at Fairfield two weekends ago. In theory, Allure has a fairly high ceiling at this event, but given how competitive the single-gender division is looking, it is impossible to predict how they will place with any certainty. - Simon Zimmerman, Ohio contributor
Indiana
Brownsburg “Starlight Voices”
The Starlight Voices make their return to the national stage following their second place at Show Choir Nationals in 2024. This year, while they missed finals at a stacked Franklin Central competition, they swept their last competition at the Avon Vocal Invitational and won prelims at the Kenton Cup. Brownsburg will close the Thursday night festivities with a fun show based on the animated series “The Amazing Digital Circus.” They are known for their vocal strength, particularly with award-winning soloists, and should challenge for the podium. - Nathan Ensley, Associate Editor
Carroll “Select Sound”
The results for Select Sound have mirrored those of its mixed counterpart Magic: first, miss finals, second, second, first. Ironically, travel to Tennessee will result in seeing many groups they could’ve seen at a much closer distance, as Carroll has not matched up with Brownsburg, Fishers or North Central yet this season. Select Sound will have the unenviable task of following another Sound - Fishers Sound - but have the talent and star power to make a lot of noise and perhaps unseat a group or two that’s currently ranked ahead of them in HomeRoom’s latest Indiana poll rankings. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief
Center Grove “Debtones”
Following their 2024 Show Choir Nationals championship, the Debtones will return to defend their title. Center Grove has emerged as one of the premier Indianapolis single-gender groups this season in the most challenging circuit in the country. In their first year with April James as their choreographer, the Debtones maintained their visual dominance, taking the choreography caption at four of their five competitions in addition to their traditional vocal excellence. Their last competition was a preview of what could happen here at SCN, with the Debtones taking Best Vocals and sharing the grand championship with Fishers Sound. Along with Sound, the Debtones will be a favorite to win this division, which would be their fourth SCN grand championship, with previous wins in 2015, 2017, and 2024. - Nathan Ensley, Associate Editor
Fishers “Sound”
Fishers will make their Show Choir Nationals debut on Thursday night. While the national stage may be new to them, their prowess is not. Sound rose to prominence in the Indianapolis circuit beginning in 2020. Since 2020, Sound has been dominant – taking 24 grand championships, winning state three times, placing lower than second just once, and completing two undefeated seasons, in 2022 and 2024. In an SCN preview just two weekends ago, Sound tied with the Debtones at the Pendleton Heights Arabian Spectacular, where they took Best Visuals. With the top two Indianapolis groups facing off nationally this time, there is no doubt Fishers will be ready for the challenge. - Nathan Ensley, Associate Editor
North Central “Descants”
North Central Descants started the season off strong with their first win in the Indy circuit since 2019, and has remained competitive in what has been a maddening Indy treble circuit in 2026. They bring an NYC show to Nashville, making their third Nationals appearance since 2018. They are a vocally strong group, taking vocals captions from solid groups like Avon and Plainfield. Regardless of what happens on Thursday night, this season will already be a success; everything else will be icing on that cake. - Will Kaiser, Indiana contributor
Behind The Numbers
This year's mixed groups have combined for:
18 Grand Championships
15 Best Vocals captions
22 Best Choreography captions
9 Best Band captions
so far this season.
This year's single-gender groups have combined for:
17 Division Wins
14 Best Vocals captions
15 Best Choreography captions
2 Best Band captions
2 Overall Finals appearances
so far this season.
HomeRoom Rankings (mixed groups only) (As of 3/13/2026)
Miles Traveled
Carroll (TX): 701 miles
Findlay: 431 miles
Carroll (IN): 414 miles
Glenwood: 371 miles
Grenada: 317 miles
Fishers: 307 miles
Brownsburg: 306 miles
North Central: 303 miles
Loveland: 295 miles
Center Grove: 281 miles
Homewood: 205 miles
Donelson Christian: 7 miles
The finals/top six streaks heading into this event are:
98: Loveland (last miss: Teays Valley 2011)
80: Findlay (last miss: Finale Nationals 2011)
69: Center Grove (last miss: FAME Show Choir National Finals 2013)
49: Homewood (last miss: Jackson Prep 2015)
26: North Central (last miss: Franklin Central 2020)
19: Grenada (last miss: Show Choir Nationals 2022)
6: Fishers (last miss: Lawrence Central 2025)
4: Donelson Christian (last miss: Tupelo 2025)
3: Carroll (IN) (last miss: Chesterton 2026)
2: Brownsburg (last miss: Kenton 2026)
Best of luck to all competing this weekend!