Valentines Day Warms Some Hearts, but Breaks Others: Ohio Show Choir Rankings (2/14)

By Michael McHargh, Ohio Contributor

Four regional experts were surveyed on 25 of Ohio's best show choirs. The results, plus some news and notes, are included below.

Large Mixed

1. Marysville “Swingers Unlimited” (4 first-place votes, NC) 

2. Loveland “By Request” (+1)

3. Solon “Music In Motion” (-1)

4. Findlay “First Edition” (+3)

5. Fairfield “Choraliers” (-1)

6. Olentangy “Keynotes” (-1)

7. Piqua “The Company” (+1)

8. Grove City “Touch of Class” (-2)

9. ETC “The All Americans” (NC)

10. Beavercreek “Friends” (NC)

News and Notes

• Marysville proves time and time again that they belong on the top of the heap, not having lost to another Ohio choir since 2023. 

• Solon falls a rank after a tough loss to Findlay at Medina. FFE had a strong competitive debut, earning the vocals and choreography captions and moving up three spots in the rankings.

Small Mixed

1. Ross “Legacy” (2 first-place votes, +3)

2. Euclid “Varsity Chorale” (1 first-place vote, NC)

3. North Royalton “Royal Harmony” (-2)

4. Garfield Heights “Music Express” (-1)

5. Twinsburg “Great Expectations” (NC)

6. Alliance “Jet Setters” (+2)

7. Kenton “Top Twenty” (NC)

8. Edgewood “Choraliers” (-2)

9. Teays Valley “Prominent Rendition” (NC)

10. Hamilton “Prestige” (Not Ranked)

Receiving Votes: Buckeye Valley “Visions”, Medina “Encore Entertainment Company”, Van Buren “The Association” 

News and Notes

• Ross jumps to the top of the podium after a triumphant win at Homestead, splitting captions with North Royalton for the top of small mixed finals.

• Euclid maintains their spot after a well-earned podium placement at Medina against a dense field of small mixed choirs.

• Things remain mostly the same for the lower half of the system, aside from Alliance moving up a couple of ranks after making finals at Medina.

Single-Gender

1. Marysville “Swingers Select” (4 first-place votes, +1)

2. Loveland “Allure” (+1)

3. Fairfield “Pure Elegance” (-1)

4. Olentangy “She-Notes” (Not Ranked)

5. Grove City “Class Act” (-2)

Receiving votes: ETC “Rouge” 

News and Notes

• Marysville gets their get-back over Fairfield with a sweep at Loveland, after losing to them at Olentangy.

• Olentangy surges into the rankings after besting Fairfield at Loveland, enhancing their dominance after a win over Grove City last weekend.

• Grove City slides down two ranks despite their overall podium placement at Hurricane, besting all of the small and medium mixed choirs in finals.

Looking Ahead

This weekend is the largest competition day this season for the region, with seven competitions featuring groups from Ohio. 

West Virginia

Two Ohio schools will travel east to West Virginia, facing two lineups of diverse choirs.

The Jetsetters and Aviatrix from Alliance will be attending the Capital City Classic in Charleston, facing groups like Herbert Hoover, Hurricane, and Sissonville. With nine total groups attending, the Jetsetters are likely to earn one of the six finals spots, even perhaps snagging a spot on the podium. With the momentum of a divisional win this past weekend, Aviatrix also has a decent shot at appearing in finals as well. 

Fairfield’s high school groups will head to Robert C. Byrd’s Vocalfest, hoping to claim their first divisional wins this season, plus an overall Grand Championship. The lineup features several medium, small, and single-gender choirs from West Virginia and Pennsylvania like Martinsburg, Jefferson, and Scranton. RCB has historically taken the top six groups of the day regardless of division into finals so both of Fairfield’s groups will be looking to secure second performances. 

Indiana

Indiana will see its fair share of groups from Ohio, with five schools heading to west.

Findlay will be attending the DeKalb Choir Festival, looking to claim their second Grand Championship of the season. They will face Northrop in the large mixed division and several small mixed choirs for five finals spots in the evening. 

The Friends from Beavercreek head to Franklin, Ind. to compete at the Franklin Community Showfest. With the one-and-done format, Beavercreek will face Lafayette Jefferson and Pendleton Heights in the Large Mixed division. After a tough run-in with Indiana choirs a few weeks ago, this competition will be another chance for Beavercreek to hold their own. 

The South Dearborn Opening Knight Showcase has the largest collection of Ohio groups traveling out of the state this weekend, although it's not very far for most of the groups. Loveland, Marion Harding, and Ross will battle Lebanon (IN) in the large mixed division for top honors and one of the five finalist spots. Also vying for the final spots are a handful of small mixed and single-gender groups like Loveland Allure and Marion Harding Singers Xtreme. 

Ohio

Coverage of the Kenton Cup and Hamilton Double H Showcase can be found in this week's Ohio snapshot.