Refreshed Los Alamitos Enters New Era in 2026
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Chris Mendoza, Western contributor
The storied Los Alamitos show choirs have a new director at the helm after a somewhat turbulent 2025 season. Former associate director Moana Dherlin is taking over the main job, while former Glendora director Matthew Davis will slide into Dherlin’s previous role. Here are a few spoiler-free (due to common courtesy) takeaways from the debut shows of the new-look Los Al show choirs.
Axcent
Los Al’s novice/intermediate treble group is gearing up for a typical dominant season. They have a fun theme and excellent costumes for both the ensemble and lead characters. Axcent could dominate in novice and be very competitive in intermediate, depending on what division they’re in week to week. This is an energetic group with Los Al’s signature production value.
Xquisite
The intermediate/low advanced trebles in Los Alamitos are continuing an unbelievable strong run of shows in 2026. Elements of comedy are present in many Xquisite shows through the years (the hilarious wind-in-the-hair gag from the 2025 Charlie’s Angels set comes to mind), and this may be the silliest show to date. The concept isn't exactly exciting on paper, but audience members just might be cracking up regardless. Xquisite takes a day in a rather mundane profession and turns it into a fun-filled farce complete with modern hits with clever lyric changes. Technically speaking, this show will be near-impossible to beat in either division once they tighten up on synchronization vocally and choreographically.
Xtreme
Fresh off one of their more successful seasons in recent history, Xtreme is back at it again. They have another timely set theme, reminiscent of their Taylor Swift x Travis Kelce show in 2024. This show shines the most with its physical comedy, so keep an eye out for some acrobatic moments!
Connexion
Continuing the trend of funny sets, Connexion sets the stage for a highly-stylistic nostalgia trip for Gen X audience members. Although this isn’t as much of a straight-up comedy, there are several laugh-out-loud moments throughout the show to look out for. They also have a strikingly well-crafted backdrop that perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the set. The vocals and choreography are great, which is expected from Connexion at this point, but Carlsbad Sound Express and John Burroughs Sound Waves will likely provide significant challenges as the season goes on.
SoundTrax
Trax’s 2026 show is nothing short of spectacular. This show feels like a momentous historical epic from start to finish. The momentum is carried by two captivating lead characters and a slew of some of the best choral arrangements in SoundTrax history. One key moment comes as a massive mashup just past the midpoint of the show that is just electric. The storyline gets a little bit lost at times throughout the show, but the audience still feels every emotional beat through the strength of the performances from the ensemble. Trax will have a battle with John Burroughs Sound Sensations as usual, but it would be unlikely that any other treble group could keep up with them this season. This is a truly generational show from Trax, and their ceiling is an undefeated year.
Sound FX
As one of the crown jewels of Los Alamitos choirs, West Coast show choir, and show choir as a whole, many wondered what direction FX might take this year with Dherlin at the helm. The answer to that is: not where you might think. Sound FX has not played it “safe” in any sense of the world. Being on the cutting edge of show design is what Los Al does best, but this show’s narrative end goal is completely different from FX shows of old. The brilliance of this show is that it doesn’t rely on its novelty, of which there is plenty. Each and every one of its wonderfully strange choices is so intentional that it cannot be brushed aside as novelty for novelty’s sake. For those reasons, this will most certainly become a classic set in the Sound FX canon. Equally brilliant to the design is the musicianship of the choir. The raw power of Sound FX circa 2023 has been missing for a couple seasons, but it’s back in full effect in 2026. FX doesn’t beat you over the head with their roaring vocals, they rather sprinkle in those moments in perfect contrast to other moments of chilling piano dynamics. This group has flourished under Dherlin’s direction, and will only get better over the course of the year. Sound FX will face off against many of the best show choirs in the world this season, both in California and at their national level competition at Heart of America Orlando. With that being said, this group has the potential to win against any group in front of them.
The biggest takeaway from the Los Alamitos preview show is that the program is thriving as usual. The program has many of the same amazing things that the community has come to expect from Los Al show choir such as inventive choreography, a rich modern choral vocal tone, and inventive show designs. Two things this author noticed post-show that was different from previous Los Al shows was the contagious excitement of the directors and the collaborative relationship with their students. As folks waited their turns to say congratulations, students from many different choirs were firing off ideas to make their sets better. Davis and Dherlin appeared to genuinely consider the creative input of each motivated kid. When speaking to each director, I picked up on their nervous excitement right away. Both Davis, in reference to the Soundtrax show, and Dherlin, in reference to the Sound FX show, seemed so proud of the students' efforts, and to be trying something so new and bold. They had this energy of “I can’t believe we're really doing this” that many directors feel as they approach their first performances of the season. Now after seeing the show it appears that they’re not just “doing it”, but doing a fantastic job along the way.