Boomer Sooner: Oklahoma Show Choirs Are Ready to Make Noise in 2026
- Elli Peck
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Elli Peck, Oklahoma contributor
Often considered a “no man’s land” in the show choir world, many not knowing if it lies in the South or the Midwest, the Sooner State often gets overlooked. Oklahoma held only 20 active show choirs in the 24–25 season, primarily small or young programs. Despite the smaller scene, Oklahoma still put up headlines and magnificent shows. During the year, four separate choirs took home the Grand Champion title, including small-town stars Alva and Lexington, and the Tulsa-metro powerhouses Broken Arrow and Jenks.
Oklahoma competitions and competitors are sparse, so many Oklahoma schools travel out of state. Last season, Okie choirs traveled to seven states and found success in each one, with 22 captions, 11 top-three placements, and five Grand Champion titles. With more groups forming, more choirs venturing out of state, and more competitions beginning to sprout up, Oklahoma is quickly developing into a show choir state.
Broken Arrow and Jenks have been steadily growing in size and success, ending last season at #22 and #65 on HomeRoom’s end-of-the-year 2025 formula rankings, respectively. Alva High School is home to less than 300 students, but Gold Rush! put up an amazing season with two Grand Championships at Oklahoma competitions in Enid and Alva.
In contrast to many other show choir ecosystems across the country, typical Oklahoma competitions are held in a one-and-done format and usually occur during the school day. Groups often compete at their own competitions. Oklahoma competitions also see middle school choirs and high school choirs compete against each other, sometimes even seeing the premier middle school ensembles sneak into the top five or snag a caption. Jenks Trochella is a young and growing event, reflective of more traditional show choir competitions.
Although the 2026 season is still young, Broken Arrow and Jenks have already faced fierce out-of-state competition. Broken Arrow took on a familiar foe, Johnston, at Blue Valley in Kansas, as well as Missouri giants Neosho, Webb City, and Carthage. At the end of the night, Tiger Rhythm took home second place in finals. Jenks traveled to Lincoln East High School in Nebraska, with the Trojanaires taking fifth in a star-studded lineup with Gretna East, Millard West, Lincoln Southwest, and more. Airemen took home third in their respective division. Both schools have busy out-of-state schedules coming up in February and March and will look to add on to the accolades.
What’s Changed?
After a very successful inaugural season with their middle school group, Spartan Singsations, Bixby will introduce Spartan Genesis as the varsity competitive group from Bixby High School this season. The group will be directed by Jace Caldwell, former Broken Arrow Sequoyah Middle School director, assisted by Avery Finley, and choreographed by James Mankle. They will make their debut at Joplin on February 7.
Jenks Trochella has changed its competition date from April to February 14 and expects a much larger turnout.
Claremore High School will return to competition for the first time since the pandemic. They will be under the direction of Ruiel Doonkeen and will make their debut at Jenks Trochella on February 14.
Duncan director Kevin Zinn plans to retire at the end of the year after 37 years of teaching.
Who’s on the rise?
Mustang Backstage Broncos, directed by Sohailah Stout and choreographed by Keegan Buckaloo, has made waves in the Oklahoma circuit over the past three years. Over this span, they took home Best Vocals and two top-three placements in the Tier II division, along with one Grand Championship at Edmond Memorial in 2023. The program has grown to 36 members and will return to Jenks Trochella as well as Enid. Rumor is Mustang plans on making their out-of-state debut at Joplin.
Lexington Southern Accents has quickly become one of the premier choirs in Oklahoma. Last year, they traveled to Orlando for FAME, where they took third. They also earned back-to-back Grand Championships at Hollister. The Southern Accents will return to Jenks after a one-year hiatus and hope to defend their title at Hollister against El Dorado Springs and Green Ridge. If the three-peat is successful, Lexington will join Broken Arrow and Jenks as the only Oklahoma three-time champions in out-of-state competition.
After a very successful season, Alva Gold Rush! is looking to bring the heat in the 2026 season. Taking home two Grand Championship titles in 2025, including one sweep over Lexington, Alva is an exciting group to watch. Heading into their 35th season with Damon Brown as choreographer, Gold Rush! is looking to not only continue the momentum but also improve on what is already a rich program with a lot of history.
Who has something to prove?
Broken Arrow Tiger Mystique is coming off a dominant season, taking down two separate Bella Voces — one from Webb City and the other from Johnston. Tiger Mystique made finals at three out of six competitions, including womens finals at HOA Los Angeles, where they fell short to Indiana powerhouses Fishers Sound and Center Grove Debtones. But after a disappointing result at Blue Valley earlier this season, the young Mystique (including over 20 freshman performers) is looking to bounce back at a wide-open Joplin on February 7.
Jenks Trojanaires started off strong last season, taking second place at Pleasant Hill and snatching a caption from a dominant Neosho before falling short to Webb City twice. Jenks needed to turn the corner, and they did just that — taking home a Grand Championship the next week in a split-caption decision at L.D. Bell and snagging fourth in finals at Avon. Trojanaires finished the season on a high note and look to continue the momentum into the 2026 season. They will take on many Texas groups, as well as look to reclaim a win at Rock Bridge. The real challenge will be at Heart of America Nashville, where they will take on Hastings from Minnesota.
What competitions are looking good?
Feb. 11: Duncan kicks off the Oklahoma season with their annual competition. With Duncan’s director change next year, the future of the competition is unknown. Oklahoma is showing up and showing out, with groups like Lexington and Alva facing off for their first battle of the season. Edmond Memorial and Edmond Santa Fe, in the 5A division, will be interesting to watch, as they split captions last year at Edmond Santa Fe. Additionally, Duncan hosts a stacked middle school division with 8 groups from 7 different schools.
Feb. 14: Jenks Trochella remains the Oklahoma competition, attracting out-of-state groups like Joplin, Cabool, and El Dorado Springs. While Broken Arrow is expected to repeat with a sweep, all other finals spots are open. Joplin will look to put two groups into finals, and Lexington is hoping to make a splash. Several first-time groups attending — Claremore, Edmond Memorial, and Bixby — will all play the role of wildcards.
Mar. 25: Edmond Santa Fe caps off the season hosting at least seven different high schools. This late-season matchup is sure to spice things up before the final rankings come out. Many of the same groups from Duncan will be attending, plus newcomer Claremore. Anything can happen before the curtain closes on the Oklahoma season.