2026 Trojan Classic: The Comprehensive Guide

After a seemingly generational lineup last season, Chesterton has done the unthinkable again and assembled a national lineup for the 2026 Trojan Classic. Ten mixed groups and seven womens groups will compete for five mixed finals spots and three womens finals spots.

Large Mixed

Indiana

Carmel “Ambassadors”

Carmel ended last season with one of the largest victories in the program's history, a defeat of Los Alamitos and Zionsville to win their first Show Choir Nationals title. That is the last indicator for Carmel, as they provide no preview of how they will look in a season before bringing a fully completed show to Chesterton. This competition was a tough one for Carmel a year ago, when they were swept by Linn-Mar 10th Street Edition, but 10SE is not here this year, leaving the door wide open for Carmel to retake their crown. - Will Kaiser, Indiana contributor 

Carroll “Magic”

Carroll Magic has once again delivered a larger-than-life performance, pushing the boundaries of storytelling in the show choir art form. They have already demonstrated they can win this season with a victory their first time out at Northrop, and have refined their show by hosting their competition this past weekend. With several out-of-state contenders Carroll should be able to see how they stack up against both top tier in and out of state competition and defend their third-place finish at this event one year ago. - Will Kaiser, Indiana contributor 

Franklin Central “F.C. Singers”

Franklin Central comes in off a win at Carroll, but not in the fashion they would have expected. Dropping the best vocals to Lafayette Jefferson was a surprise because of the group's size disparity, and is another example of the shift for the program from a premier vocal group to a group that is stronger on the visual side of things. If they can put together both aspects on Saturday, they will be in contention for the top spot at the end of the night. - Will Kaiser, Indiana contributor 

Northrop “Charisma”

Northrop heads to the Trojan Classic for the second stop of their season after kicking things off with a third-place finish at the Carroll Classic. After showing strong visual commitment at Carroll but leaving points on the table vocally, Northrop will need a more balanced performance to keep themselves in the conversation for finals. With a very powerful show about changing the world around us, Northrop has the potential to make a strong impression. If they can translate that energy into clean execution, this performance could mark a turning point in their season. - Anna Welch, Indiana contributor     

Illinois

Oswego “Commotion”

“Oswego beat Wheaton Warrenville South” is not a sentence anyone expected to hear at all this season; however, that’s how the cookie crumbled at Crete-Monee, as Commotion notched a massive podium finish after missing finals at Milton. Even with this solid finish , Commotion is not a favorite to make finals here, as the sheer caliber of competition seems to be a bit too much. That won’t stop them from giving it their all with an entertaining, high-energy show to kickstart the large mixed division in the afternoon. - Dylan Moss, Illinois contributor

Waubonsie Valley “Sound Check”

Waubonsie enters their most stacked comp in a schedule full of stacked comps at Chesterton. Sound Check sports a Grammys-themed show this year, going through the history of past Grammy winners. Waubonsie enters on the outside looking in when it comes to finals; however, the program continues to show growth under Melissa O’Neill, and they know what it’s like to compete at competitions like this. Sound Check’s gonna give it their all, and if the cards fall right, it could end up paying dividends. - Dylan Moss, Illinois contributor

Wheaton North “Flight”

Wheaton North enters the Trojan Classic with momentum on their side after a captionless win at Bettendorf. Flight’s show is a colorful escapade through the life and accomplishments of the legendary artist Andy Warhol, as told through their excellent vocal prowess and choreography from April James and Randy Sage. Flight looks to remain one of Illinois’ premier groups this season, but they will need to put their absolute best foot forward to make it into finals given the immense level of talent at this competition. Flight hasn't missed finals since 2014 for good reason, as the level of talent in the program can match up with almost anyone, and they will certainly look to prove it this weekend. - Dylan Moss, Illinois contributor

Mississippi

Brandon “Brio”

With their third consecutive appearance at this event, Brandon looks to avenge their last two years with a Grand Champion title at the Chesterton Trojan Classic. However, it will not be easier than it ever was before. Yet, Brandon has optimism. They are on a two-competition win streak and will look to carry that momentum against some much larger competition. They won’t get much sleep though, as they will immediately have to turn around and compete against Clinton and Tupelo the very next weekend. Many eyes from the South will be on Brandon as we watch them try to exercise their Chesterton bad luck from years before. -Tony Holeman, Southern contributor

Nebraska

Gretna “Revolution”

After a good two years of consecutive first and second place finishes, Gretna is finally spreading their wings and traveling to some much-needed competition at their level. Revolution tells the true story of Annie Londonderry, who famously became the first woman to travel around the world in 15 months on a bicycle. So far, their performance has been extraordinary, as they had a serious face-off against Linn-Mar at the start of the season. Gretna placed second, but that did not stop them from getting their first win at Papio South last weekend. Revolution is now one of the standard-bearers for Nebraska show choir, and they will need to do their best to make their state proud on Saturday. - Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor

Virginia

Cosby “Spotlight”

One of the biggest talking points, and question marks, surrounding this competition has to be Cosby Spotlight, who is traveling over 770 miles to compete. Spotlight, a group known more for their in-state accomplishments and astounding vocals, are taking their talents farther east in 2026. They ran the table in Virginia in 2025, winning three competitions in the Commonwealth. It is also worth noting that in 2024, Spotlight took home two grand championships in out-of-state competition. Since this weekend is the Virginia season kickoff at Clover Hill, the Chesterton Trojan Classic is the first time Cosby will be competing in 2026.  - Cole McConnell, Virginia contributor

Large Womens

Indiana

Carmel “Accents”

The Carmel Accents will make their 2026 debut at Chesterton and will be the favorite in this division, winning this competition the past six editions. In addition to Chesterton, the Accents won two other grand championships last year, including a split-caption win over Franklin Central at Brownsburg. The Accents are known for bringing shows full of meaning with colorful costumes, bringing life to the single-gender division. - Nathan Ensley, associate editor

Carroll “Select Sound”

After debuting their show at Northrop last week, Select Sound traded places with ETC’s womens group Rouge in prelims and finals, ultimately coming out on top with both captions. Carroll took the weekend off from competing this weekend to host their competition in Fort Wayne. Select Sound has a mixed history competing with large groups outside of Fort Wayne. The 2023 edition of Select Sound made national headlines when they outpaced Los Alamitos Soundtrax, and another high-magnitude placement could be what the doctor orders at Chesterton.

Franklin Central “High Voltage”

Franklin Central opened their 2026 season with a grand championship and Best Visuals at the Carroll Classic. They have proved themselves as a strong visual group on the Indianapolis circuit, taking the visual caption in their past four competitions dating back to last season, where they took Best Visuals over Carmel at Brownsburg. This year, High Voltage presents a fun Italy-focused show that features everything from the fashion and runways to the music and tambourines. - Nathan Ensley, associate editor

Westfield "Illumination"

The third-year program enters Chesterton with some momentum, earning their first-ever division win earlier this season at Anderson. Illumination is not a stranger to Chesterton, having competed at Trojan Classic in 2025, and they will continue to grow and learn alongside some of the nation's premier womens ensembles at this event. A finals berth is a stretch goal, but the highest goals to set are the ones that feel the best when achieved. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

Northrop “Allure”

Northrop’s treble group enters this competition following their debut at the Carroll Classic last week. This Fort Wayne group placed third in a challenging division last week. Last season, Allure had an up-and-down season, with a pair of third places while also failing to make finals twice. They will need to find consistency fast if they want to be considered among the finals contenders at Chesterton.

Mississippi

Brandon “Bellas”

Brandon’s girls group has a chance to make a statement at this competition (to the audience back home in Mississippi, oddly enough). Despite them having won their division at every competition thus far, there are still mixed groups that some have wished for Brandon Bellas to have proven themselves against, but haven’t yet. Whether this truly matters or not, Bellas could really take the fight against some of these strong womens groups and show the people back home that all the speculation is simply nonsense. There's no better proving ground than a stacked competition like this. -Tony Holeman, Southern Contributor

Virginia

Cosby “Rhapsody”

The last time Rhapsody competed in a womens finals was in 2024 at the Poca MusicFest, where they knocked off Winfield Emerald Elegance while also taking vocals and choreo. While this group may be rather unknown by some, expect them to be a sneaky contender to nab one of the three spots in finals. Although this is their first time competing in 2026, the Cosby womens choir is stepping into this competition off the back of three straight wins, making a total of 14 wins since 2020. Rhapsody, alongside illustrious director Heather Andre, will look to continue their win streak, secure a big win, and build momentum heading into the rest of their season. - Cole McConnell, Virginia Contributor

Finals/Placements Streaks (Mixed groups only)

Franklin Central - 91

Carmel - 54

Wheaton North - 52

Brandon - 31

Cosby, Gretna - 28

Carroll - 13

Northrop - 4

Oswego, Waubonsie Valley - 1

Distance Traveled

Cosby - 771 miles

Brandon - 766 miles

Gretna - 516 miles

Franklin Central - 179 miles

Carmel - 152 miles

Northrop - 116 miles

Carroll - 113 miles

Waubonsie Valley - 82 miles

Oswego - 82 miles

Wheaton North - 76 miles

Nationally Ranked Choirs (2025 Rankings)

6. Gretna “Revolution”

11. Carmel “Ambassadors”

27. Wheaton North “Flight”

28. Franklin Central “F.C. Singers”

29. Carroll “Magic”

34. Cosby “Spotlight”

50. Brandon “Brio”