Illinois Choirs Look For Turning Points and Hot Starts at Crete-Monee

By Dylan Moss, Illinois contributor

Illinois’ competition circuit is finally getting its start at Crete-Monee, now the state’s perennial inaugural competition after Mt. Zion’s move to later in the season. Naturally, many choirs are entering their first competitive outing of the 2026 season, however some have competed already and are looking to either continue their success or in some cases, mark a turning point from a rougher first outing. Nonetheless, storylines will converge, and the Illinois circuit is sure to get off to a fiery start.

Womens Division

Naperville North “Vivant”

Mother McAuley “Mac Melody”

Wheaton Warrenville South “Esprit”

Crete will host a small but mighty womens division this year, with three quality choirs headlining. Esprit is coming off of a division win, but a narrow finals miss at Davenport North to Valley Ignition. However, Esprit has consistently been the standard for Illinois’ single-gender scene, and will look to set that here with a division win and their first finals berth of the season. The somewhat newly-named Naperville North Vivant is entering their second season with choreography from Joe Sato and Cecily Pedregon, and will be looking to upset Esprit here. Finally, while Mother McAuley might not be on the level of the other two groups, they are sure to still put on a fantastic show, and will gain helpful experience heading into a competitive bout at Chesterton.

Varsity Mixed Division

Sullivan “Singers”

Pekin “Noteables”

Herscher “Class Act”

Peotone “Powerhouse”

Mundelein “Reverb”

Illinois’ chaotic Tier II division (called the Varsity Divison here) finally gets started at Crete, and it promises to be a solid start. Sullivan emerges as the early favorite, as they have established a position at the top of the division in the last couple of years; however, Herscher is a choir on the rise, and should not be counted out to potentially give Sullivan some early-season competition. Pekin is entering its final season as a competitive show choir, and will certainly be looking to go out with a bang. A good placement here would be an excellent starting point for a great retirement tour. Peotone hasn’t enjoyed as many top placements in recent years, but a kickstart here could also result in a bright year for Powerhouse. Finally, Mundelein Reverb emerges as the biggest wild card in this division, as they haven’t competed in Illinois since 2022, as well as being the only group in this division with competition experience this season. They had a successful start, winning the prep division against solid Wisconsin choirs at New London, and they will for sure be looking to do some damage here.

Championship Mixed Division

Oswego “Commotion”

Naperville North “Entourage”

Manteno “Magic”

Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express”

Mundelein “Sound”

Wheaton Warrenville South “The Classics”

Wheaton Warrenville South didn’t have the start they were looking for last weekend, getting a shocking fifth place at a highly competitive Davenport North event. However, if there’s one thing to know about Classics, its that one can't count them out based on an early-season result, and they will look to bounce back with a win here. However, Naperville North has cut it close with Classics in the past, particularly with the vocal caption, and they will be looking to do that once more, or even pull off the upset win. Eisenhower was the big story here last year, pulling off a shock win against El Paso-Gridley, but they are coming straight off of a finals miss at Milton this time around. In the past, Eisenhower has proven they are nothing but resilient, and will be hungry for another good result here. Oswego is also coming off of a finals miss at Milton and will be looking to rectify that here, but they face challenges from not just mixed, but the single-gender division to do so. Manteno has proven a perennially solid choir in Illinois, and should be in the running for a good placement as well. Finally, Mundelein Sound competes in the state of Illinois for the first time since Glenwood The Event in 2022, making them a wild card here much like their prep group Reverb. They are coming off of a strong third-place finish ahead of strong Wisconsin choirs at New London, and they are certainly a group to watch out for to make some surprises happen.

Finals Predictions

Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.

GC: Wheaton Warrenville South “The Classics” (BV/BC)

1RU: Naperville North “Entourage”

2RU: Mundelein “Sound”

3RU: Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express”

4RU: Manteno “Magic”

5RU: Wheaton Warrenville South “Esprit”

Best Band Caption: Herscher “Class Act”

WWS enters as the favorite to win this competition, and after all, they will be hungrier than ever after last weekend. Naperville North also enters in a good position to cover their bases with a solid podium finish to start the season. What happens after that is anyone’s guess, however, Mundelein and Eisenhower enter as more proven quantities than Manteno, but Magic has been known to step up when it counts. Finally, Esprit is looking for their first finals berth of the season, and it seems like a prime setup for it to happen here. Crete has been known for some wild results, and when the dust settles, there will be analysis here breaking it all down.