New and Familiar Challengers Emerge in Every Viriginia Show Choir Division for 2026
- Cole McConnell
- 7 minutes ago
- 7 min read
By Cole McConnell, Virginia contributor
Although the 2025 Virginia scene was filled with some groups dominating, there were many close battles at the top, a consistently jumbled mixed medium mixed scene, and even a small womens group taking home a grand championship twice. No two shows were the same and after many of the divisions, both in mixed and treble, were cluttered in 2025, groups competing in the upcoming season will look to find consistency.
Despite being a rather small, secluded circuit, the Virginia scene never fails to produce some prolific battles across all levels of competition. In 2025, the large mixed division was ruled by Cosby Spotlight, going three for three while competing in their home state, but Manchester Capital Swing gave them a serious run for their money both times the two groups met. At the Hanover & Mechanicsville competition, Cosby took home captions in choreography and show design while Manchester snagged vocals, band, and costumes. When the two forces met again three weeks later at the Powhatan Diamond Classic, Cosby was able to take home vocals, however Manchester grabbed choreography, band, and show design. As this battle continues into 2026, it will be interesting to see which group is able to take the crown. Both of these choirs are also taking high profile out-of-state trips this year with Cosby attending the Chesterton Trojan Classic and Manchester attending HOA Orlando.
The womens circuit in 2025 was led, and frankly dominated, by three groups: Cosby Rhapsody, Douglas Freeman Harmony in Motion, and Atlee Elegance. Across these three choirs, they combined for 10 division wins and five grand championships, while often sweeping captions. Whether it was in their own dvisions, against mixed choirs, or against each other, all three groups produced high-quality shows that were able to consistently bring home trophies. With Harmony in Motion competing in the middle division circuit this year, hopefully these choirs will all encounter one another at some point in the season to see who’s on top for 2026.
Although the five groups mentioned above were the main talking points for the 2025 scene, there are a few other groups that deserve a shoutout. After getting second in finals at Cosby, Thomas Dale Knight Scene grabbed a grand championship at the Manchester Koste Classic, their first since 2018. The Amherst Amherechos produced their first two-win season since 2016, Midlothian Just for Show won their first large division title since 2017, and after a one-year hiatus, Matoaca High Impact grabbed two first-place awards.
What’s changed for 2026?
After making the ever-challenging jump from middle mixed up to large mixed for the 2024 season, Atlee Illusion didn’t see nearly the results they desired as their highest placement was a third place, which occurred three times in seven competitions. Due to this, Atlee’s mixed group will return to compete in the tier two scene for the 2026 season.
Hanover Sound FX and director Grayson Parker will make a change and compete in the small mixed scene instead of the middle mixed scene for the 2026 season. Expect them to be a force in the small mixed scene this season.
Well-known Virginia choreographer Ryan Shapiro has picked up another group for the 2026 competitive season. For the first time since 2022, Glen Allen Vocal Eclipse has chosen to pick up a non-student choreographer.
Since 2022, only Atlee Debonair has populated the mens division in Virginia. However, for the first time in recent history, the Commonwealth has a battle brewing. For the first time in school history, Midlothian is fielding a mens choir called MidBROthian. At the Manchester Koste Classic, these two groups will square off and have a chance to be the crowd-favorite battle of the day.
Who’s on the rise?
In 2025, small mixed group Poquoson Evolution picked up the group's first win since 2020. Evolution rapidly improved throughout the course of the season, starting with a third and ending with a win at the Powhatan Diamond Classic in late March. This group is one that has been on a rapid turnaround since director Rose Reid took over the program in 2024. This is a program who will look to continue their rise and bring more championships back to Poquoson in 2026.
There haven’t been many choirs that have executed a return to the stage better than Douglas S. Freeman Harmony in Motion, especially considering they often compete in the lower divisions of the womens scene. Since the group returned in 2023 after a three year hiatus, they have won first at an almost inconceivable 13 out of 14 competitions, including eight overall grand championships. The group's sole loss was in 2024, when they lost to John Burroughs Sound Sensation during Cosby's womens finals. Harmony in Motion managed to continue their dominance in 2025 even while enduring a director switch. Although DSF does not field a mixed choir, there is an argument to be made that Harmony in Motion have had the best three-year stretch of any group in Virginia. In the upcoming season, director Madi Gilleland and highly-touted Virginia choreographer Jason Peace will look to build a show that continues this group’s ascendancy in the treble scene.
One group that has been on an exponential rise recently is the Kecoughtan Harbor Lights. For the first time in a decade, Harbor Lights will return to competing at the large mixed level. When director Corrine Huber took over the program for the 2024 season, Kecoughtan was competing at the small mixed level. After a bump up to the middle mixed scene for 2025, Harbor Lights have their sights set on a much bigger task for this upcoming season.
After their Hunger Games-themed show wowed audiences in 2025, Atlee Elegance and director Natan Berenshteyn will look to continue their success in 2026. Prior to last season, Elegance took home only one win since 2020, which came in 2023. Despite this, Atlee found tremendous success in 2025. The group took home three first place trophies in middle division this past season, while also taking sweeping captions twice. As Elegance continues to grow, they hope the results will continue to produce alongside them.
Part 4: Who has something to prove?
This choir was one that journeyed out of state for two competitions in 2025, as well as competing back home for two, but still fell just short of taking home a grand championship as they were able to in 2024. Manchester Capital Swing and director Robyn Kim will look to overcome any doubts that might be surrounding them as they prepare for the 2026 season. Although Capital Swing has kept their competition schedule under the wraps, they will be attending HOA Orlando for a gigantic national tussle. In addition, they most likely will have at least one matchup with who many would call their kryptonite, Cosby Spotlight, especially after two neck-and-neck matchups in 2025. During 2026, Manchester will look to prove that they belong at the head of the table in Virginia.
After going a perfect four-for-four in 2024, including three small mixed wins and one at the middle mixed level, Hanover Sound FX and first-year director Grayson Parker threw their hat in the mix of a competitive middle mixed scene for the 2025 season. This transition didn't go as smoothly as Parker and the group would’ve desired, as outside of their lone small mixed win, SFX only produced a fourth-place result. Due to smaller numbers and only the second year after a director change, Sound FX will be back competing in the small mixed circuit for the entirety of 2026. They will look to return to their dominant 2024 form and sweep the circuit this season.
In terms of "something to prove”, there is a case to be made that the entire middle mixed contingent something to prove. In 2025, all the groups has respectable placements, many of them picking up tier two wins and a few solid finals placements. Thomas Dale Knight Scene had the best year out of any from this bunch, including a grand championship at the Manchester Koste Classic and a second overall at Cosby finals. However, in addition to Thomas Dale, groups such as Clover Hill New Dimensions, Mechanicsville Madz, Mills E. Godwin Debut, and Powhatan Resonance, all battled to consistently stay atop the tier two circuit. All these groups, in addition to Atlee Ilusion, who is throwing their hat into the mix this year, will look to take the top spot among the bunch.
What competitions are looking good?
Mar. 7: This competition will be one that show choir fans from many different locations will want to pencil in on their calendars. Although it is the most recent addition to the Virginia competition circuit, as this is only the fourth year of its lifespan, the Cosby Titan Tournament of Choirs has a case to be the most prestigious competition held in the Old Dominion. Even though there are no finals this year, plenty of high-power groups will be competing for the title, headlined by out-of-state groups from Hurricane (Red Hot and Heat Wave) and Petal (Soundsations and Innovations). Additionally, both the middle womens and middle mixed are anyone's game, with a whopping six groups contesting the latter division.
Mar. 14: It is not often that a competition has stood the test of time such as this one. The Manchester Koste Classic has been hosted since 2007, and even through a name change, has seen many popular names take home gold. On Saturday, all three divisions have a chance to produce some unexpected results. One of the most intriguing storylines from this competition is the small mixed division, which will see nine different groups from three different states. The Koste Classic will also see stiff competition on Friday headlined by Douglas S. Freeman Harmony in Motion competing against Atlee Elegance.
Mar. 21: A staple of Virginia since 2018 that now serves as the season finale for the state is the Powhatan Diamond Classic. This competition usually sees the battles that occur throughout the season reach their climax and often show who has improved the most over the course of the year. In 2026, the Diamond Classic will see five large mixed mixed groups compete for the grand championship, including Cosby and Manchester, two scrappy middle divisions, and small division scenes on both days that see 5+ groups in the mix. By the time March rolls around, there should be a better idea of the favorites for this competition, but the Diamond Classic never fails to produce and set up storylines for the upcoming season.