Joplin, Troy Buchanan and Smith-Cotton All Produced Exciting Results for Missouri
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By Anne Marie Wright, Missouri contributor
Last weekend was one of the most intense, jam-packed weekends of the season in Missouri. With three–that’s right, three–competitions across the state, a huge variety of choirs from across the nation came together in Missouri to compete at Troy Buchanan’s Invitational, Smith-Cotton’s Show Me Classic, and Joplin's In the Spotlight. Each created their own sets of highlights to be added to Missouri's lore this season.
Troy Buchanan Show Choir Invitational
The Troy Buchanan Invitational in Troy is the only competition in the St. Louis area this season, and it brought in Illinois groups Mt. Zion and Glenwood as well as southwestern Missouri program Neosho as the headliners. Keeping with previous years, this comp was divided into a single-clef division and an “open” mixed division, unlike many other Missouri contests that operate on a 5A/4A/3A/2A division system. They give placements in prelims for the single-gender division, but leave placements unknown for the open division until finals, where groups from both divisions are eligible to earn a spot.
After a tight race in the single-clef division, Neosho and Mt. Zion emerged victorious with both groups from each school snagging the top four placements. Sugar and Spice and Phenomenon claimed the top two spots, respectively, and S&S also managed to secure a spot in the finals alongside the rest of the larger mixed groups. Mt. Zion's ensembles saw a flip, as their guys were third in division and their girls were fourth in division. Unfortunately, Nevada Treble Effects, Glenwood Titan Flame, and Rock Bridge Satin and Lace did not place.
Eight choirs across several states competed in the open division for a shot at the final round. Pelim captions were split about 50/50 between Neosho Choraleers and Rock Bridge City Lights, with Choraleers taking Best Ballad, Best Closer, and Best Crew, and Rock Bridge taking Best Costumes, Best Opener, and a Best Soloist award. Choirs that qualified for finals included Neosho Choraleers, Mt. Zion Swingsations, Glenwood Titan Fever, Marquette Center Stage, and Rock Bridge City Lights. Other choirs in the division included Nevada Soundsational Singers, Green Ridge Harmony, and Battle Battalion.
The six qualifying choirs delivered electrifying final performances, undoubtedly proving how deserving each group was to be in the final round. At the end of the night, Mt. Zion took home Best Choreography and the win, their first triumph since 2024. Neosho Choraleers were second with Best Vocals, earning some nice compensation for their long drive. Glenwood was third and Rock Bridge was fourth, better than all of their results in 2025. Sugar and Spice was fifth, and Marquette brought local flavor to finals in sixth.
Smith-Cotton Show Me Classic
The Smith-Cotton Show Me Classic, hosted in Sedalia, gave Missouri's central region some show choir action. In the mens division, Platte County Sound Explosion emerged victorious over Pleasant Hill Powerhouse. Of the six groups in the womens division, Carthage Suite Sounds took the win, followed by Platte County Sound Elegance and Oak Grove Radiance. Carthage Suite Sounds, in addition to taking first in the division and Best Opener, earned a spot in the finals–the only single-gender group to do so.
Plenty of shows hit the stage in the smaller school divisions as well. In 3A, Harrisonville Forefront earned the top spot, followed by Cameron Lights, Cameron, Action in second. Carrollton Ninth Street Singers and Chillicothe Choraliers did not place. In 4A, Harrisonville Music Makers took first place, beating out Oak Grove Impact, who took second place. Other choirs in this division were Pleasant Hill Hillside Singers and Warrensburg Soundwave. Harrisonville Music Makers also secured a place in finals, along with the Best Costumes caption.
The preliminary awards for the 5A division gave a glimpse at who some of the top choirs of the daytime round were. In first was Carthage Soundwave, in second was Oak Park Oak Street Singers, and in third place was Platte County Sound Express. All three of the placing groups also advanced to finals and won captions during the daytime round. Hickman Harmonix, despite taking Best Ballad, did not place, along with Grain Valley Exclamation. Harmonix did, however, manage to snag a spot in the final round.
At the end of the finals round, it was Carthage coming out on top once again, taking Best Vocals and Best Choreography along with Grand Champion. It was Soundwave's first win since 2019, bringing one of southwest Missouri's most storied programs back to the top. Oak Park was second, adding a runner-up finish to their win at Maryville earlier this season. Platte County was third, equaling their showing from last year's Show Me Classic. Harrisonville and Carthage Suite Sounds were fourth and fifth, respectively, showing all that small schools and womens groups deserve to be up there in finals. Hickman was sixth, leading off new director Christy Elsea's tenure with a finals appearance.
Joplin In the Spotlight
In the Spotlight was the first competition of the season in southwest Missouri after the postponement of the Mt. Vernon Mid-Winter Classic. The event attracted groups from Kansas and Oklahoma as well as many Missouri ensembles.
A smaller single-gender field saw Webb City DoMENance perform as the only group in a standalone mens division and Webb City Bella Voce take first in the womens division over Broken Arrow Tiger Mystique. However, both womens groups advanced to finals, meaning that their days would be extended to another performance.
Classes 2A through 5A all had mixed choirs competing. Cabool was the only 2A choir, sporting a laundry-themed show. In 3A, Mt. Vernon Vocal Motion and Hollister Blue Harmony duked it out, with Mt. Vernon coming out on top and earning a rightful place in finals. McDonald County Rhapsody N Rhythm and a program new to Joplin's comp, Arkansas City Unleashed, went head-to-head in the 4A division. Arkansas City proved to be a strong newcomer, taking first place in the division and a place in finals. In the 5A division, it was a battle for the best between Webb City Singers and Broken Arrow Tiger Rhythm. In the end, Tiger Rhythm emerged victorious, taking a sleuth of caption awards with them, including Best Costumes, Best Ballad, Outstanding Solo (Evangeline King), Best Show Design, and Best Crew.
Broken Arrow Tiger Rhythm emerged victorious at the end of finals, taking their fourth consecutive win at Joplin and fifth overall. Webb City Singers were second, improving three spots from their previous outing this season at Blue Valley. Right on their heels were the two womens groups, as Bella Voce and Tiger Mystique were third and fourth. Arkansas City, in only their second competition ever, was fifth, and Mt. Vernon rounded out the finals field in sixth.
All in all, it was a competitive, fun-filled weekend here in Missouri! Several choirs had extremely successful days at these comps, including a historic win for Carthage and a historic finals appearance for Arkansas City. This weekend is the first of three weekends that will feature three competitions in Missouri, as Feb. 21 will feature events at Cameron, Nevada and Rock Bridge and Feb. 28 will feature events at Carthage, Hollister and Platte County. Great job to all of the choirs that competed this weekend, and good luck in the coming weeks!