Early-Season 2026 Western Show Choir Rankings

By Andrew Estrella, Western contributor

Everyone is invited to another season of Western show choir! Stock photo: Derrick Knight / Knight Images

Three regional experts were surveyed on 35 of the region's top show choirs. Ensembles from California, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah were considered.

Disclaimer: Rankings were voted on before Feb. 21 competitions.

Advanced Mixed

1.     Los Alamitos "Sound FX" (3 first-place votes)

2.     John Burroughs "Powerhouse"

3.     Burbank "In Sync"

4.     John F. Kennedy "Executive Order"

5.     Diamond Bar "Marquis"

6.     Glendora "Royal Stewarts"

7.     Horizon "Step on Stage"

8.     Cypress "High Voltage"

9.     Valley Vista "Vocal Thunder"

10.  Brea Olinda "Masquerade"

Receiving Votes: Hart "Collective Harts", La Cueva "Underground"

Advanced groups are coming out swinging this year, with early-season events looming larger than in previous seasons. There's even a February showdown between Burbank and Los Al at Esperanza, where both groups will debut for the season. Advanced Mixed Tier II will bring fireworks throughout the season, and some comps worth noting are Chaparral, Esperanza, Burbank, Valley Vista, and the season finale, Oceanside. It’s also worth mentioning that the Big Three will all be setting out on national competitions, bringing the waves of the west to other states.

Treble

Groups from all levels of treble divisions were considered.

1.     John Burroughs "Sound Sensations" (3 first-place votes)

2.     Los Alamitos "Soundtrax"

3.     John F. Kennedy "First Ladies"

4.     Los Alamitos "Xquisite"

5.     Burbank "Blue Impressions"

6.     John Burroughs "Decibelles"

7.     Valley Vista "Tempest"

8.     Los Alamitos "Axcent"

9.     Diamond Bar "Solitare"

10.  Brea Olinda "Spellbound"

Receiving Votes: Boulder Creek "Heart and Soul", Cypress "Pink Thunder", Horizon "Show Divas", Troy "Ladies First"

The open format of the treble rankings leads to a wide-open top ten, with Los Alamitos putting three groups in the rankings and John Burroughs placing two. The biggest two competitions in 2026 for treble groups will be Burbank and Oceanside. The fight for the top two spots will also be influenced by Sound Sensations and Soundtrax’s respective nationals trips.

Intermediate Mixed

1. John Burroughs "Sound Waves" (3 first-place votes)

2. Los Alamitos "Connexion"

3. Carlsbad "Sound Express"

4. Oceanside "Soundwaves"

5. Helix "HLX"

Receiving Votes: Golden Valley "Melodies of Gold", Martin Luther King "Legacy"

The intermediate division is very much one of the most challenging divisions to be in. John Burroughs and Los Al are always heading the top spots, and taking that off them is no easy task. There's also Carlsbad, who made a great run at the end of last season, taking placements from advanced groups. Ensembles like Oceanside and Helix also have the potential to create a tide shift this season as well.

Novice Mixed

1. John F. Kennedy "Ambassadors"

2. Eisenhower "Ike Singers" (2 first-place votes)

3. Esperanza "Reverberation"

   Receiving Votes: Hart “Hart ‘N Soul" (1 first-place vote), Norco "New Generation"

As seen last year, the novice division can always be a toss up. Year by year, more schools dip their toes into the show choir scene and the novice division is the place to do that. The ever-so-expanding division has a unique midseason gathering at the Los Al Xtravaganza, which usually counts many novice groups among its attendees.

Bass

1. John Burroughs "Men@Work" (2 first-place votes)

2. Los Alamitos "Xtreme" (1 first-place vote)

3. Diamond Bar "Radiant"

4. Hart "Unleashed"

5. John F. Kennedy "Secret Service"

   Receiving Votes: Cypress "Voltage Unlimited"

   
   

The thing with the bass division is that yes, while it's still judged and ranked like any other division, what really matters to many is who’s the funniest. Comedic themes with jokes and pop culture references sprinkled throughout the division is one of the things that is unique to the circuit. The only question before this season is how many “6-7” jokes will take the stage this season. In all seriousness, M@W and Xtreme are both in position to put on great shows this year and should be close to each other.