Brea Olinda Will Bring the Heat in 2026

By Jackson Ferrier, Western contributor

Masquerade performs its 2025 competition set. PHOTO: Michael Hawley

Brea Olinda choirs have been a familiar name in the California show choir scene for decades. In recent years, however, they have cemented themselves as a new-look contender in the West. 

In the early 2010s, Brea Olinda’s choirs dominated southern California under the direction of Dave Willert. Their most prominent season was in 2011, where they went on to take division wins at five of their seven competitions. On top of this, they made appearances at FAME Hollywood and FAME Show Choir National Finals in Indianapolis. 

Taking over in 2022, director Molly Gooch and choreographer Kylie Christensen have continued Brea’s long history as a top program that can compete in a talented southern California circuit. Both Gooch and Christensen have been involved with advanced level show choir since high school, and are using their expertise to make a name for Brea Olinda in one of the most competitive circuits in the nation. 

In 2025, Brea’s advanced mixed choir, Masquerade, had a successful season, taking second place at Esperanza and two division wins at Los Alamitos Xtravaganza and Oceanside Sound Off, both coming in the Advanced Mixed II division. They earned Best Showmanship and Best Tech at Los Al, and took home Best Musicianship and Best Soloist at Oceanside. Their 2025 competition set, "The Giver," was well-crafted, with clean choreography and strong vocals that put a new lens on a familiar story. If Brea can keep up this level of performance in the future, they won’t have any problems facing up against the rest of SoCal’s stacked Advanced Mixed II division. Masquerade was also the host choir for the first ever Heart of America Los Angeles competition this past season. After one of their best seasons since the pandemic, Masquerade looks to continue their success in the Advanced Mixed II division this year. 

Spellbound, Brea’s top treble group, also had a fairly successful 2025 season. They took second place at three highly competitive competitions, winning Best Musicianship at Oceanside, and they attended HOA LA along with Masquerade. The upcoming 2026 season is looking bright for Spellbound, and the next step will be to start stringing some division wins together. 

Brea’s intermediate Treble group, Tiffanys, will look to improve from their 2025 season, where they earned a third place at Esperanza and fifth at Los Alamitos. They also placed third in the Open Division at HOA LA. 

Last season, Brea Junior High’s mixed group, Show Choir Express, took home a win at Esperanza, and second places at both Los Alamitos and HOA LA. Brea’s middle school treble group, Starlet Express, will aim to secure their first win since 2020 this upcoming season. California’s middle school division is no joke, but Brea continues to excel with their junior high choirs.  

The 2026 season looks to be a promising one for Brea Olinda, with their choirs looking stronger than before and gaining momentum every year. This season, each choir will continue their fight to the top of their divisions, all aiming to earn their spot among giants in Southern California.