Whether it is the start, middle, or end of a choir’s season, there were plenty of great battles to go around this past weekend!
Daniel Hand Connecticut Classic
Large Mixed Results
1st: Waltham “Music Unlimited” (BV/BC/BB)
2nd: Loveland “By Request”
3rd: South Windsor “Choral Spectrum”
Small Mixed Results
1st: Scranton “First Edition” (BV/BC/BB)
2nd: Bishop Hendricken “Paramount”
While the weather tried its best to kick the Connecticut Classic off the Comps of the Week list, it could not deter the three groups that were drawing the most attention before the competition. In an uncommon (but not quite rare) matchup between a Midwest powerhouse and the second-best choir in New England this year, Waltham produced a statement win that proved a twofold purpose. Number one, it proved that the level of New England show choir, at least at the top, is very legitimate and can punch with any other region. Number two, Waltham showed that their explosive four-win season in 2022 was no fluke and that with a few more years of consistent success, they may be the newest titan of New England show choir. In small mixed, Scranton continued to completely run the table in New England, which is something that they will test in Virginia this weekend against a stout Matoaca group.
Glenwood The Event
Final Results
GC: Clinton “Attaché” (BV/BC)
1RU: Wheaton North “Flight”
2RU: Wheaton Warrenville South “The Classics” (BB)
3RU: Marquette “Center Stage”
4RU: Peoria “Soundwave”
5RU: Wheaton Warrenville South “Esprit”
Clinton. Is. Not. Going. Anywhere. While those in the South came to that conclusion after Attaché beat Brandon at Northeast Jones, the rest of the country has now come to the same conclusion after Clinton soundly defeated two of the best groups in Illinois. Say whatever one may about David and Mary Fehr stepping back from the quote-unquote “director” role of the group, this is the same Clinton that won 23 straight coming into 2023 and has won two more this year. Arguably the largest and most well-known show choir dynasty in America, Clinton passed its toughest test today and will look to complete its 2023 season with a win at Biloxi this weekend, where their only large mixed competitor is Northwest Rankin. Shoutouts are also in order to Wheaton North, who beat Wheaton Warrenville South for the first time since 2019, and Marquette, who is a little isolated in the Missouri scene but has quietly pieced together a trio of fourth-place finishes in 2023.
John Hersey Chicagoland Showcase
Final Results
GC: Carmel “Ambassadors” (BV/BC)
1RU: Chesterton “Sandpipers”
2RU: Naperville North “Entourage” (BB)
3RU: El Paso-Gridley “Modulations”
4RU: Manteno “Magic”
5RU: Alan B. Shepard “Nova”
Can Carmel finish the season undefeated? Four competitions in, the answer appears to be yes. While the ISSMA state finals field has yet to be determined, Carmel has now won four straight competitions and hasn’t lost a choreography caption all season. Chesterton also continues their journey of a season, never really fitting into any circuit. They claim another podium finish on the year and beat one of Illinois’ top-shelf groups in Naperville North. Entourage, for its own part, comes out on top of the band competition and hasn’t finished outside of the top three since February 22, 2020. While not on the level they were last year, El Paso-Gridley remains a good choir and comes home where many people expected them to. Manteno provides a solid follow-up to its performance at El Paso-Gridley, and you would never know that their school population is about 700. Alan B. Shepard remains one of the most surprising groups of the year – with the surprising absence of Dwight D. Eisenhower from the competition scene this year, Shepard is perhaps the best choir from the southern Chicago suburbs.
Lewis Central Clash of the Titans
Final Results
GC: Westside “Amazing Technicolor Show Choir” (BV/BC)
1RU: Papillion-La Vista South “Titanium” (BB)
2RU: Sioux Falls Jefferson “Legacy”
3RU: Millard South “South on Stage”
4RU: Papillion-La Vista South “Titan Radiance”
5RU: Westside “Simply Irresistible”
You may be able to knock Westside down, but you will never be able to knock Westside out. After coming home just behind Papio South at Omaha South last month, ATSC comes roaring back and claims both major captions in a contest where neither group had to deal with Mitchell. This is absolutely not to discredit Titanium, who remains the undisputed number two choir in Nebraska. Sioux Falls Jefferson takes home the win in the middle of the three battles in finals, taking home third place over Millard South. In a situation that was correctly predicted by Barstool, womens groups from Westside and Papio South round out the finals field. In a rare two-womens-groups-in-a-mixed-finals scenario, Titan Radiance holds onto a daytime win in the womens division and comes home ahead of Simply Irresistible in fifth place.
Solon Show Choir Invitational
Final Results
GC: Findlay “First Edition” (BC/BB)
1RU: Marysville “Swingers Unlimited” (BV)
2RU: ETC “The All Americans”
3RU: Grosse Pointe South “Pointe Singers”
4RU: ETC “Rouge”
5RU: Medina “Encore Entertainment Company”
Findlay becomes the second group featured in this week’s column to win four competitions in a row this season. In a rematch of their only split-caption win from earlier in the season, First Edition once again gets the best of Swingers Unlimited. The catch – Findlay and Marysville swapped vocals and choreography captions this time around. First Edition now takes a couple well-deserved weekends off before going to complete an undefeated season at Show Choir Nationals on the 24th – 25th. Marysville will also take two weekends off before going to another bloodbath of a competition, Heart of America New York, also on the 25th. ETC’s mixed group gets back in front of its girls groups, and The All Americans pick up their fourth third-place finish of the season. Grosse Pointe South is firmly back after a little transitory leadership change. In what is a common theme, they too will head to an intense competition next – Heart of America Nashville this weekend.
Totino-Grace Show Choir Spectacular
Final Results
GC: Hastings “Riverside Company” (BV/BC/BB)
1RU: Elkhorn South “Blackout”
2RU: Indianola “Side One”
3RU: Waubonsie Valley “Sound Check”
4RU: Bemidji “Vocalmotive”
5RU: North St. Paul “Northern Lights”
While they came out on the losing end of a close battle with Waconia in January, Hastings closes out the Minnesota season with a statement win and a strong case that they are on top of the in-state circuit this year. They will ride into Show Choir Nationals in three weeks as one of a number of schools with a substantial hot streak to back them up. Elkhorn South and Indianola also pick up really solid out-of-state placements to show off to the rest of the local circuits back home. While Sound Check is not the powerhouse it once was, they prove that they are still a solid finals-caliber choir. Bemidji ends its legendary run under Chris Fettig on a little bit of a lower note than they would have hoped, they extended their 38-competition streak of making finals. North St. Paul wins the mini-competition for the last finals spot, making their miss at Onalaska the only one of the season.
As always, check back midweek for a look at the best of next week’s competitions!
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