Ohio 2026 Small Mixed Show Choir Rankings

By Stella Garey, Ohio contributor, Simon Zimmerman, Ohio contributor, and William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

Ohio boasts an incredibly healthy small group scene that encompasses nearly every part of the state and groups that perform several different styles of shows. Combine that with a dedicated small group competition scene that gives these groups several opportunities to shine throughout the season, and it could hold its own as a full circuit in many other states.

1. Ross “Legacy” (4 first-place votes)

Ross continued their rise through Ohio’s small mixed division in 2026, finishing as the top group in the end-of-season poll rankings. Ross had a season that was nothing short of impressive; they made overall finals three times (at Edgewood, South Dearborn, and Marysville), beating several large mixed groups along the way (including Marion Harding and Beavercreek, both of whom will be ranked in the Ohio large mixed poll). They also won the middle mixed division at Fairfield (the Crystal Classic pits middle mixed with large mixed instead of small for finals, which is why they didn’t make finals there - this author still finds that practice unfair) and, in perhaps their most impressive result, took home a win in the small mixed division at Homestead, which draws one of the top small mixed fields in the country. In short, Ross had a great 2026 season. - Simon Zimmerman 

2. Euclid “Varsity Chorale”

Euclid’s meteoric rise has been the story in Ohio small mixed since they picked up their first-ever win in 2025, then followed that up with two more this year. In 2026, they added to their count after sweeping at Walsh Jesuit and Alliance. The rest of their results were no less impressive; the only groups to beat them were large mixed groups, and they more than stood their ground, placing on the podium at four of their five competitions (the only time they didn’t place on the podium was at Solon, which featured one of Ohio’s tougher fields this past season). In short, Euclid did nothing short of dominate small mixed show choir in northeast Ohio, though they didn’t leave that region too much (which is part of the reason Ross was voted into the top spot). All eyes will remain on Euclid in 2027 as they navigate the transition from small to large mixed, and see if they can keep up the success of the past two years. - Simon Zimmerman 

3. North Royalton “Royal Harmony”

North Royalton has been quite the solid small mixed group these past few years, and they kept that up in 2026. They made overall finals at three out of their four competitions, beating several major players in small mixed along the way, and earning perhaps one of the most impressive results in Ohio this past season when they beat Piqua for second place at Findlay in late January. They held their own in good fields at the rest of their competitions, earning a solid second-place finish in small mixed at Homestead and splitting captions with Ross, placing on the overall podium at Alliance, and making finals in the aforementioned tough field at Solon, where they placed fifth. Though they fell to Ross and Euclid throughout the season, that shouldn’t obscure the quiet constancy they’ve achieved in consistently being at the top of Ohio Small Mixed over the past few seasons. - Simon Zimmerman 

4. Garfield Heights “Music Express”

Garfield Heights’ 2026 season was defined by its being the last for longtime director Stephen Pernod, and what a good way to say goodbye it was. Music Express started off strong with a win at North Royalton (their first win since 2020), and followed it up by making finals at the rest of their competitions, including at Solon for Pernod’s last competition. Though they fell behind Euclid and North Royalton throughout the season, this was undoubtedly Garfield Heights’ best season in several years, including as it did finals placements at four out of four competitions and a Grand Champion title; undoubtedly, it was a season Pernod will be happy to have gone out on. - Simon Zimmerman

5. Kenton “Top Twenty”

Top Twenty brought their energy-filled show to four competitions across Ohio this season, as well as one in Indiana. The group made it to finals three times throughout the course of the season, and by the time their last competition came to a close earned four caption awards. At Ada’s finals, Top Twenty competed against several of Ohio’s small mixed choirs in addition to Grove City, where they finished third place with a best crew caption. At North Royalton, Top Twenty only competed against Garfield Heights, and it was a close decision, finishing in second with Best Choreography and Band. Closing out the season, the group ended up in fourth place at both Alliance and Jay County.  - Stella Garey

6. Buckeye Valley “Visions”

Visions started off the season with a bang at Carroll, where they won first place and Best Vocals in the small mixed division against several other choirs from both Indiana and Ohio. Next, the group traveled to Kenton, where they yet again emerged as the victors of their division, with both Best Choreography and Vocals accolades. Visions also attended Teays Valley and Fairfield, where they finished in second place in the small mixed finals at the latter.  This season also served as assistant director Kelly Culler’s first year with the program after the departure of Kayden Cordell to Ross’ program after the 2025 season.  Overall, Visions had a lovely season and proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with in both Ohio and Indiana. - Stella Garey

7. Alliance “Jet Setters”

It goes without saying that Alliance made quite the name for themselves this season, and the group made some serious progress when taking a look back at 2025.  They pulled off an impressive five appearances at finals out of the six competitions they attended (North Royalton didn’t host finals), earned three caption awards, and a plethora of soloist awards.  Alliance hosted their own competition in late February that attracted a variety of small mixed groups throughout the state, giving these choirs a chance to compete without the looming presence of the large mixed division.  While North Royalton didn’t host finals, Alliance walked out of that competition as the winners of the small mixed division.  Looking ahead, it’ll be interesting to see what Alliance brings to the table in 2027. - Stella Garey

8. Twinsburg “Great Expectations”

The 2026 season brought a variety of competition for Twinsburg, as they saw themselves competing in both the small and large mixed divisions to fight for a spot at finals.  What was maybe their most competitive event of the season was also what started them off for the year: the Olentangy Keynote Classic. Here, the group competed in the large mixed division at prelims, where they faced off against three of Ohio show choir’s top dogs, as well as Center Grove Sound System. In addition to making finals at Olentangy, Twinsburg also made finals appearances at Medina and Kenton. The 2026 season turned out to be a solid one for the group with three finals appearances out of their five competitions, one prelims win, and a caption award.  - Stella Garey

9. Edgewood “Choraliers”

Throughout the course of the 2026 season, Choraliers faced off against a variety of groups from all over the country, both in the large and small mixed divisions.   This year the group found itself competing almost solely in February, save for Solon in early March.  By the time their season came to a close, Choraliers emerged with one finals performance at Hamilton in which they took home sixth place, as well as a plethora of caption awards.  In addition to competing in Ohio, Choraliers traveled to Indiana where they competed at Homestead.  To round off February the group went to Tennessee, where they competed at Heart of America Nashville. - Stella Garey

10. Teays Valley “Prominent Rendition”

Whether in Ohio or West Virginia, Prominent Rendition left their mark on the small mixed division in 2026. Throughout the season, the group attended five competitions across Ohio, as well as two in West Virginia. With the many competitions they attended also came many performances at finals.  At Ada and Poca the group took home fourth place, fifth at Kenton, and earned third at Herbert Hoover.  Additionally, the group received three caption awards by the time the season came to a close.  In late February, Prominent Rendition hosted their own competition that attracted choirs from Ohio and West Virginia alike. - Stella Garey

11. Hamilton “Prestige”

Prestige gave the audience a glimpse back inside the magic and wonder of childhood with their Neverland-themed show. Between February, January, and March the group attended four competitions across Ohio and also traveled to Indiana to compete at Avon. Prestige had enough performers to be eligible to compete in the large mixed division at select competitions while at others fell into the small mixed category, which gave them a variety of groups to compete with this season. At Findlay, Prestige finished fifth in finals just ahead of Medina, and brought home third place in small mixed finals at Teays Valley. - Stella Garey

12. Norwood “The Silhouettes”

Competing primarily in February, The Silhouettes attended five in-state competitions in 2026.  Starting off strong, the group competed at Marion Harding, where they secured a spot at finals and at the end of the night finished in sixth place.  The group also had the opportunity to perform at Grove City’s finals, where they won fourth place over Mayfield.  Finishing off the season in early March, the group brought their show to Fairfield where they earned third in small mixed finals and brought home two caption awards.  Choreographing The Silhouettes for the first time this season was Brooke Smolder, whose visuals changed the game for the group in the 2026 season. - Stella Garey

13. Mayfield “Limited Edition”

The 2026 season took Limited Edition all over Ohio to perform their show themed around the concept of running out of time, and they secured two performances at finals. Kicking off the season early, Mayfield hosted a non-competitive festival on January 10th that attracted several choirs from northeast Ohio such as ETC. This season, the group brought their show to four in-state competitions including Twinsburg and Grove City, where they placed fifth overall at finals. After the departure of assistant director Rebecca Sabree to Twinsburg’s program following the 2025 season, director Brian Fancher was joined by Melaina Mattingly Uhrig as the new assistant director. - Stella Garey

14. Van Buren “The Association”

The Association brought the thrill of the race track to audiences this season, and managed two best costume captions as well as three impressive finals appearances. The group attended five competitions across Ohio, and came face to face with some of the most notable small mixed choirs in the state. At Ada, Walsh Jesuit, and Alliance, they proved themselves worthy of a finals appearance and repeatedly took on choirs such as Alliance and Euclid. The group certainly stepped up this season, beating several choirs they previously lost to in the 2025 season.  - Stella Garey

15. Perrysburg “The Swarm”

This season, The Swarm swept audiences away from the comfort and predictability of home to none other than Paris, France.  The group competed in Ohio for two of their three competitions, where they took home third place in small mixed prelims at Marion Harding and third runner up during finals at Kenton. To round off the season, the group brought Paris to Illinois, where they competed at the John Hersey Chicagoland Showcase. The former directors of Perrysburg Middle School Golden Jackets, Katie Kuhlman and Joel Hamilton stepped up this season to direct The Swarm, and it’ll be a treat to see how they continue to shape the program.  - Stella Garey

16. Medina “Encore Entertainment Company”

Encore started the season off with a bang, earning a finals berth at Findlay over Kenton, Walsh Jesuit and Milton-Union. Medina was also second in division at Kenton, placing ahead of River Valley, Ada and Benjamin Logan. EEC also made an appearance at Walsh Jesuit and was at a deep Solon Invitational. On Feb. 14, Medina also hosted 15 choirs for the annual Midwest Showcase. Tara Tober Barcon also joined the group as choreographer, reprising her role with Medina from a 2018 season in which she shared visual duties with Shawn Eck. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

17. Walsh Jesuit “Harmony Gold”

In director Vince Matia’s third season at the helm, Walsh attended four competitions throughout January, February, and March. While the group went without placing the entire season, they saw some of Ohio’s top small mixed groups, including Euclid, Van Buren, North Royalton, Medina and Alliance. Harmony Gold also hosted its own invitational just for small mixed groups on Feb. 7, giving several of the above-mentioned choirs (and others) a chance to shine unimpeded by larger ensembles. Situated in Cuyahoga Falls and in close proximity to a lot of good show choir, Walsh will continue its over 20-year history in 2027. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

18. Milton-Union “Center Stage”

Center Stage brought the sunshine to audiences in 2026 with its weather-themed show, bringing show choir standards like Mr. Blue Sky and Over the Rainbow to the stage. Alyssa Cornelius joined the group as director after Hannah Smith’s four-year tenure came to a close following the 2025 season. Milton-Union was second in division at Grove City and fourth in division at Loveland, and also attended Findlay and Hamilton. Nearly a 30-performer group this season, Center Stage could be one of the biggest small mixed groups with the pickup of a few more performers. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

19. River Valley “Music Company”

Following the departure of director Nick Denino to the Grove City program, River Valley welcomed Ian Keller as the new leader of the program. Music Company had a busy month of February, competing at Marion Harding, Kenton and Alliance. They beat Perrysburg at Marion Harding and claimed two caption awards at Kenton, punching above the group’s weight. Finals finally came at Alliance, with a sixth-place finish as well as a pair of caption awards, and an appearance at Marysville yielded a second-place finish in a five-group division. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

20. St. Clairsville “St. C Singers”

St. C made its living in West Virginia this season, competing four times east of the border and only once in Ohio. The group traveled to Hamilton and placed second in a five-group small mixed division, beating Milton-Union, Middletown and Ada. It was the only time they didn’t make finals all season. Singers were third at Nitro and sixth at Poca, Hurricane, and Cabell Midland. St. C also claimed a slew of caption awards throughout the season, taking home three soloist awards, a costume award, a crew award, and a Judges’ Choice. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

Receiving Votes: Middletown "Purple Pizzazz", Strongsville "Mustang Express", Whitehall-Yearling "Music Unlimited", Licking Valley "Vocal Impact"