The Torch is Now Lit for the Virginia Circuit: A Recap and Look Ahead
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By Cole McConnell, Virginia contributor
The 2026 Virginia circuit kicked off with a bang at the Clover Hill Mid-Atlantic Show Choir spectacular last weekend. As the weekend approached, many people thought the results would be predictable, however this was far from the truth. After two days of intense dance breaks, amazing vocals, and creative shows across the board, it all came down to a five choir battle on Saturday night to crown a champion.
After all was said and done it was Matoaca High Impact who took home the top award for the weekend. As mentioned in the preview article, High Impact seems to have a stronghold on this competition and were able to win their second straight grand championship from this MASS, while also taking home best band. Matoaca now has time to recharge and clean their show even further as they won’t compete again until March 7th.
Captions, even though were only handed out during prelim awards, are still an important piece to solving the puzzle of who really put on the best performance. Midlothian Just For Show took home vocals, choreography, and people’s choice, which would result in them earning runner-up in finals. Another noteworthy caption was the best show design award, which was given to the small mixed group Poquoson Evolution.
Full Results:
GC: Matoaca “High Impact” (BB)
1RU: Midlothian “Just For Show” (BV/BC)
2RU: Manchester “Capital Swing”
3RU and 4RU were not announced
While Clover Hill did a wonderful job as hosts and helped to kickstart the season, all eyes are now looking to what lies ahead this weekend. Over the next two days, a highly anticipated, well-known competition will allow fans to see the heavyweights from the commonwealth fight for their position at the top. The Thomas Dale Commonwealth Choral Invitational brings all the local talent together and should be an entertaining watch for all show choir fans.
Although there are many headline worthy stories that are significant heading into the weekend, there is one that seems to stand above all. The large mixed tier on Saturday will see the encounter of two groups who are very familiar with one another, and who both are looking to rebound after a slow, and rather disappointing start to their seasons. Cosby Spotlight, who was unable to make finals at the Chesterton Trojan Classic last weekend, is known for their in-state performances and will look to continue on their Virginia win streak, which dates back to 2022. Spotlight will be in battle against Manchester Capital Swing, who after many predicted to win grand champion last weekend, only placed second runner-up. Both of these choirs will look to get their seasons back on track this weekend at CCI.
Despite often getting overlooked in the grand scheme of two day competitions, don’t count out the treble choirs on Friday to make some noise. The three groups that ruled the divisions last year will all be competing here, including Cosby Rhapsody, Atlee Elegance, and Douglas Freeman Harmony in Motion. Rhapsody is the lone choir from this bunch that has any 2026 experience under their belt but expect Elegance and DFS to be as sharp as ever. Not only will these three choirs provide excitement for this competition, but also be an intriguing storyline to watch throughout the course of the season.
The CCI will also be the debut competition for twelve choirs as they all take the stage for the first time in 2026. This includes a number of winners from last season who will be looking to continue their success, as well as some choirs who are trying to erase less than ideal placements from the 2025 season.
No matter what happens this weekend, Virginia fans should be laser focused on who comes out on top and tears down the stage at one of the premier competitions for the state.
Predictions:
Large Mixed -
GC: Cosby “Spotlight” (BV/BC, Overall GC)
1RU: Manchester “Capital Swing”
Medium Mixed -
GC: Clover Hill “New Dimensions” (BV/BC)
1RU: Atlee “Illusion”
2RU: Mechanicsville “Madz”
Small Mixed -
GC: Hanover “Sound FX” (BV/BC)
1RU: Amherst “Amherechos”
2RU: James River “Current Edition”