Comps of the Week: 4/18/26

By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

The last mainstream show choir competition season of the weekend is here, with a California middle school competition, North Carolina’s lone contest of 2026 and Oceanside boasting the only full California Big Three matchup of the season.

Luther Burbank Light Up the Stage

The Lineup (groups from California unless noted)

Mixed: Eisenhower (NM) "Five Star", John Muir "Imaginations", Lakeside "Aptitude"

Womens: John Muir "Innovations", Lakeside "Adrenaline"

One of only a couple middle school-only competitions in the country (Omaha Westside being the only other one to run this year), Luther Burbank offers a Los Angeles-area option for middle school show choirs who wanted to compete this weekend instead of going to Oceanside in the San Diego area (although Lakeside is doing both this weekend!). The last year that results are publicly available for Light Up the Stage is 2023; that year, Eisenhower was first and Lakeside was second. That may offer a glimpse into what is to come, although none of the three mixed division choirs have competed against each other so far this season.

North Carolina State Show Choir Contest

The Lineup (all groups from North Carolina)

Mixed: Douglas Byrd “Singing Byrds”, Lake Norman “Showformance”, South Granville “Shades of Blue”, Voyager “Bull City Lights”, William A. Hough “Howlin’ Huskies”

The top three groups from last year’s state contest all return for this season. They are led by Lake Norman, who claimed its first state title in 2025 and will be looking to cement its name as a back-to-back winner. Hough was not at the state contest last year but has won two state championships in the past. Voyager was second last season and brings the best pedigree, having six state championships to its name. Bull City Lights did not place at Manchester earlier this season with their illusion-themed show. South Granville boasts the fullest 2026 resume of the field, having two competitions prior to states, but did not place in either. Douglas Byrd is a new program led by director Juanita Cox Tucker, who previously directed show choirs at Western Harnett Middle, Pine Forest Middle and Reid Ross Classical.

Oceanside Sound-Off!

The Lineup (groups from California unless noted)

Advanced Mixed 1: Burbank “In Sync”, John Burroughs “Powerhouse”, John F. Kennedy “Executive Order”, Los Alamitos “Sound FX”

Advanced Mixed 2 Large: Chaparral “Platinum FX”, Glendora “Royal Stewarts”, Valley Vista (AZ) “Vocal Thunder”

Advanced Mixed 2 Small: Bonita Vista “The Music Machine”, Carlsbad “Sound Express”

Intermediate Mixed Large: John Burroughs “Sound Waves”, Los Alamitos “Connexion”

Novice Mixed Large: Eisenhower “Ike Singers”, Valley Vista (AZ) “Voltage”

Novice Mixed Small: El Camino “Aurum Adrenaline”, Los Altos “LA Dynamix”, Palm Desert “Summer Breeze”

Advanced Womens: Burbank “Blue Impressions”, John Burroughs “Sound Sensations”, John F. Kennedy “First Ladies”, Los Alamitos “Soundtrax”, Walnut “Rhapsody in Blue”

Novice Womens: Chaparral “Dynamics”, Eisenhower “Ikettes”, Los Alamitos “Axcent”, Palm Desert “Harmony in Motion”

Mens: John Burroughs “Men@Work”, Los Alamitos “Xtreme”

Expanded Coverage: Oceanside Sound-Off Brings the Noise to Close California’s 2026 Season

The California season is apexing at the right time this year, as the season finale event at Oceanside is the only one this season to pit all four of the state’s Advanced Mixed 1 groups against each other. Burroughs and Burbank are both undefeated heading into this competition; Los Alamitos boasts a very impressive win at Heart of America Orlando as well. The closest thing to a guarantee is that the rankings will come down to mere points, or perhaps even fractions of points. Even the most seasoned west coast observers are left to mere conjecture about this division in a year when each of the Big Three has a show that will earn a place in that program’s lore. Advanced womens will be spicy as well, although Burroughs and Los Al are the conventional wisdom picks to fight for the win. Advanced Mixed 2 offers a group size split, something that’s not particularly common. Large division features three programs with very different stories this season and should be an intriguing division to follow. Oceanside is also the only 2026 faceoff between Men@Work and Xtreme, one of the best under-the-radar friendly rivalries in show choir.

Comps of the Week Recap will have one last overview of everything that happened on stage this Saturday. Check for it to be published early next week!

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include information about the Luther Burbank Light Up the Stage event.