Comps of the Week Recap: 4/11/26

By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

Davenport Central becomes the latest choir to be named champion of the FAME National Finals, while Burbank, Diamond Bar, Valley Vista, Western Sierra, Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy all earn division wins at John Burroughs.

FAME Show Choir National Finals

Mixed Results

1^st: Davenport Central “Central Singers, Inc.” (BV/BC/BB)

2^nd: Edgewood “Music Warehouse”

3^rd: Pacifica “Encore”

4^th: Nevada “Soundsational Singers”

5^th: El Dorado Springs “Sound Collage”

Davenport Central came in, performed, and left. CSI garnered seven total captions, including Best Show Design, a Best Soloist, and two Best Performers. Davenport Central won five straight competitions to close the 2026 season, with the only blemish on their record being a tight split-caption loss to Valley at Davenport North in January. Edgewood nabbed what is probably its best finish of the season (besides perhaps a second in small mixed at Lafayette Jefferson) and sported a show that flourished after temporary director Verda Slinkard made changes to arrangements and choreography. Pacifica notched its third third-place showing of 2026, rounding out their debut season in the advanced ranks in California. Nevada’s fourth was their second overall placement of the year, pairing with a third at Carthage.

John Burroughs Music Showcase

Advanced Mixed 1: 1^st) Burbank “In Sync” (Music/Show) 2^nd) John F. Kennedy “Executive Order”

Advanced Womens 1: 1^st) Burbank “Blue Impressions” (Music/Show) 2^nd) John F. Kennedy “First Ladies”

Burbank cleaned up in both categories, which wasn’t necessarily unexpected for In Sync, but Blue Impressions silenced whatever conversation there was with the two-caption victory over a potent First Ladies ensemble.

Advanced Mixed 2: 1^st) Diamond Bar “Marquis” (Music) 2^nd) Cypress “High Voltage” (Show) 3^rd) Valley Vista “Vocal Thunder”

Intermediate Womens: 1^st) Valley Vista “Tempest” (Music/Show) 2^nd) Cypress “Pink Thunder” 3^rd) Diamond Bar “Solitaire”

Diamond Bar cemented its bid for “best in California after the Big Three this season”, as Marquis won its division at all three California competitions it attended this season (and only lost to Horizon in Arizona). Cypress completed a good season that saw High Voltage become a bona fide advanced contender, snagging two division wins and placing behind only Diamond Bar, Horizon and Boulder Creek. Valley Vista began its late-season swing by completing the podium and garnering Best Show Design. They will continue their run this weekend at Oceanside, facing off against Glendora and Chaparral. In womens, Tempest competed in advanced for the first time and shot straight to the top of the division, clearing groups from Cypress and Diamond Bar that also stepped up to advanced after competing in intermediate for most of the season.

Novice Mixed: 1^st) Western Sierra “The Alphas” (Music/Show) 2^nd) Eisenhower “Ike Singers” 3^rd) Mater Dei “Show Choir”

Novice Womens: 1^st) Eisenhower “Ikettes” (Music/Show) 2^nd) Western Sierra “Sierra Serenade”

It was a tale of two months for Western Sierra, who placed sixth in novice at Hart three weeks ago and shot out of a cannon to take a sweeping division win at Burroughs. The Alphas are gaining a reputation for being a stud late-season outfit, as the group also swept novice at Burroughs last year after placing fourth at Hart earlier in the season. Eisenhower notched its fourth top-three finish of the year in division, and Mater Dei landed on the podium in their show choir debut. That’s a big feat in an eight-choir division!

Mens: 1^st) John F. Kennedy “Secret Service” (Music/Show) 2^nd) Diamond Bar “Radiant” 3^rd) Cypress “Voltage Unlimited”

Secret Service took its first competitive division win since Brea Olinda last season, 14 months ago, and made a compelling argument to be looked at as the third-best mens group in the region behind Men@Work and Xtreme. Radiant rounded out a solid season in which it competed once each in February, March, and April. Cypress had not competed since February 14, so landing in the top three here after that much time away from the stage is something to be lauded.

The mainstream show choir competition season has one more weekend left, as Oceanside will cap off the California season and North Carolina will crown a state champion for 2026. Comps of the Week will have the pertinent analysis later this week!

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with correct division names for the John Burroughs Music Showcase.