This is it! The final weekend of the show choir season across the country is here, with choirs squaring off in California and Colorado.
Colorado State Show Choir Festival (held on 4/27)
The Lineup (all groups from Colorado)
Open Division: Berthoud “Bridge-Between”, Cañon City “Encore!”, Cañon City “Tiger Ladies”, Cheyenne Mountain “Dynamix”, Denver SOTA “On a Side Note”, Doherty “Momentum”, Falcon “Falcon Fire”, Falcon “Falcon Legacy”, Fossil Ridge “Fossil Fusion”, Frederick “Varsity Blue”, Gateway “Athenians”, Gateway “Venus”, James Irwin “Harmonia”, Monument Academy High “Aurum Fortissimo”, Monument Academy Middle “Forte!”, Rangeview “Chromatics”, Roosevelt “Rhythm Bandits”, Vista PEAK “Ascension”, Vista PEAK “Aspyre”, Vista Ridge “Rhythm”
The annual festival sponsored by the Colorado High School Activities Association is back. So are all three of last year’s placing choirs – Cheyenne Mountain, who took home the win, Vista PEAK Ascension, who was second, and Cañon City Encore, who was third. They remain the favorites, especially since Ascension already took home the win at Scottsbluff in November. With a win here, they would be able to pull off a rare two-win season in Colorado. Gateway is making its first appearance since the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have placed well in the past. Rangeview and Vista Ridge have also registered good placements in the past. Choirs making their competition debut include Denver SOTA, James Irwin, Monument Academy High School and Fossil Ridge. Before the pandemic, the show choir world had no schools named Fossil Ridge, and now it has two with the genesis of programs in Texas and Colorado. The CHSAA festival only announces three placings, so with 20 choirs entered, the battle for the top three promises to be intense.
Southern California Vocal Association Show Choir Spectacular
The Lineup (all groups from California)
Intermediate Mixed: Chula Vista “Main Attraction”
Novice Mixed Large: Eisenhower “Ike Singers”, Valencia “Show Choir”
Novice Mixed Small: Henry J. Kaiser “Chamber Singers”, North “Hi-Lite”, Ramona “Varsity Show Choir”, Riverside Polytechnic “Show Choir”
Womens: Dana Hills “Golden Lantern Show Choir”, Eisenhower “Ikettes”
While last weekend’s lineup at Oceanside brought the punch at the top, the SCVA lineup here is one of the most interesting. Chula Vista has beaten one group in division across two competitions this year, but they will face no competition here. Eisenhower may give Chula a run for the top overall score, but the chances are that will never become public knowledge. In novice small, Riverside last had a competitive show choir in 2020, Kaiser last had a competitive show choir in 2019, Ramona last had a competitive show choir in 2005, and North is making its competitive debut. During a year when several California programs have either disappeared (Vista, Eastlake) or cut back (Katella, Otay Ranch), it is encouraging to see a number of schools joining the competitive circuit after a few years away or a number of years away.
Check back early next week for a look at how the final show choir competitions of the year went down!
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