For whatever reason, the second weekend of November seems to be a hot time for show choir events across the country. This is the busiest weekend of the mini-season that happens in fall, with events happening in Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Two are competitions and two are noncompetitive festivals.
Ada Music Feast
The Lineup (all groups from Ohio unless noted):
Large Mixed: Grove City “Touch of Class”, Strongsville “Mustang Express”
Medium Mixed: Alliance “Jet Setters”, Piqua “The Company”, Teays Valley “Prominent Rendition”
Small Mixed: Benjamin Logan “Standing Ovation”, Kenton “Top Twenty”, South Dearborn “Opening Knight” (IN)
Womens: Grove City “Class Act”, Teays Valley “Glamorous Edition”
Middle School: Kenton “Dimensions”
The last competition standing in what used to be a fairly robust Ohio fall competition scene, Ada returns all of its finalists from last year minus two ETC groups. Grove City has a fair shot of taking ETC’s place, with the mixed group Touch of Class all but a lock for a podium spot and the womens group Class Act in the drivers seat in their division. Ada served as a de facto coming out party for Piqua last year, as The Company rolled to one of the hottest seasons in Ohio. They will look to repeat at the top of the podium this year. Last year’s fourth through sixth – South Dearborn, Teays Valley, and Strongsville – all look to take a step forward, with Kenton the most likely group to break into finals if one of those groups or Grove City’s girls falters.
Oliver Ames Baystate Show Choir Festival
The Lineup (all groups from Massachusetts): Andover “Back to Bass-ics”, Andover “From Start to Finish”, Andover “Nothin’ But Treble”, Boston Latin “Pizzazz”, Brockton “Harmonics”, Dartmouth “Dynamix”, Leominster “Ignition”, Shepherd Hill “Fantasy”, Shepherd Hill “Illusion”, Somerset Berkley “Amplified”, Somerset Berkley “Electrified”
Oliver Ames is the premier fall show choir festival for New England, with a couple handfuls of groups attending most years and both vocal and visual clinicians. The festival also includes a couple of all-group choral pieces as well. The lineup this year is pretty much the same as the lineup last year, save for Lowell dropping and Boston Latin adding. It is Pizzazz’s first Baystate since 2019. Dartmouth, HomeRoom’s Rookie of the Year in 2023, will kick off its sophomore season in the same way that it started its freshman season.
Stars Over Seneca
The Lineup (all schools from Missouri):
4A/5A: Nevada “Soundsational Singers”, Webb City “Singers”
3A: El Dorado Springs “Sound Collage”, Mt. Vernon “Vocal Motion”
Single-Gender: Nevada “Treble Effects”, Webb City “Bella Voce”, Webb City “DoMENance”
Middle School: El Dorado Springs “Sound Investment”, Nevada “Future Sounds”, Webb City “Euphonics”, Webb City “Polyphonics”
Following the noncompetitive Neosho Show Choir Festival last season, southwest Missouri kicks into competitive mode this week with Seneca. A drop from Cassville and a late drop from McDonald County mark the only main changes in the program lineup from last season, meaning that anything and everything is on the table once again. Webb City went 1-2-6 last year, and a repeat of that would be a good omen for their season ahead. While there are no finals at this competition, another prominent program that did well last year was Nevada (third and fifth) . There should be no shortage of action and drama when the results are announced!
Washburn Show Choir Extravaganza
The Lineup (all groups from Wisconsin unless noted): Ashland “Lake Effect”, Drummond “Jack Attack”, Luther L. Wright “Accent!” (MI), South Shore “Fermata Nowhere”, Washburn “Fire and Ice”, Washburn Middle “Illumination”
Lake Superior may be North America’s largest freshwater lake, but the Chequamegon Bay-area schools still keep it spicy in the show choir world. Washburn is even on groups compared to last year, with Northwestern dropping and South Shore making its first registered show choir appearance. While none of the groups attending may be regional powerhouses, it is still nice to see a collection of several different high schools in the same immediate area come together and create an event where everyone can appreciate everyone else’s work.
Between Scottsbluff last weekend and Ada and Seneca this weekend, there’s plenty to talk about! Check back early next week for a Comps of the Month reviewing all of November’s action.
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