Welcome Back (Again) Y'all!: A 2026 Southern Show Choir Preview

By Tony Holeman and Clark Piercy, Southern contributors

As this article is written, roughly 283 days have passed since the last appearance of a Southern show choir in competition. With January 24 fast approaching, that long drought is (hopefully) finally nearing its end. The competitions at Northwest Rankin, South Jones, and Hoover have emerged on the horizon, signaling the gradual return of the season. It’s a good day. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the latest changes in the Southern show choir circuit and a few key developments to watch.

What's Changed?  

• Wayne County - This year, the South has had relatively little change at any program’s helm (or anywhere in general). One of the only complete director changes comes at Wayne County, where longtime director Amy Pruitt has retired. Taking her place are newcomers Natalie Kinsey and Alexis McDonald. The new look Wayne County will compete early this season at the Mississippi State Show Choir Contest at the beginning of February.

• Madison Central - Joining the crew of Madison Central Reveille is friend-of-the-program Bradley Davis, who is not only well-known within the show choir media world for his longtime podcasting, but also has done a variety of great choreography work for Columbia Academy, Pisgah, and the middle school at Madison Central. His move to the high school includes a new role as Assistant Director of Choral Activities, where he will serve as director of Radiance and assist Reveille.

• Eufala - A multiple-season run for Dillon King ended after 2025. Vibe has enlisted Russell McKinnell as their new director. The far-eastern Alabama outfit will compete at Tallassee, Enterprise, Auburn and Tift County this season.

• Hattiesburg/Houston Academy/Hamilton - There is no better sign of a healthy and growing show choir scene than that of the constant appearance of new groups within a circuit. The southern circuit is no exception to this, as each year seems to bring multiple new contenders to the table. This year, Hattiesburg Expressions (MS), Hamilton Legacy (AL), and Houston Academy Rhapsody (AL) are coming to the scene! While not entirely new, Hattiesburg's former competing group (nicknamed "Tigers Untamed") last performed in 2013. Houston Academy, which is in Dothan, is seeking their first-ever competition, though they have held exhibition performances and have already developed a full program. Hamilton seems to be the only program here starting (admirably) completely from scratch. Welcome to all new groups!

Who's on the Rise?

• South Jones “Company” - South Jones has been on the constant rise since the Austin Perkins takeover during the pandemic. During the 2025 season, Company demolished their division, winning middle mixed at every comp save for one loss to Northeast Jones Gold Horizons. They notably placed third overall at the Oak Grove Magnolia Invitational and fifth overall at the West Jones Invitational. What’s next? The goal in 2026 will be to beat large and extra-large groups.

• Pass Christian “Luminary” - Some may remember when Pass Christian debuted their show choir back in 2023. Under the direction of Garret Clement, Luminary quickly climbed the small division. This last season, they placed first above West Marion at Oak Grove. This was the best achievement to date for Pass Christian, since they were the only group to put an end to West Marion’s undefeated run. However, at any other competition, they placed second behind West Marion or even third. This season certainly will be a battle between their old and new ways.

• Auburn "Varsity Singers" - Auburn held where they needed to be in 2025, winning a lone competition at Tallassee and really only losing to regional and national powers. Their season ended with a trip to Show Choir Nationals, where they placed sixth in prelims and made finals. In the finals round, they gained momentum and moved up to fifth. Varsity Singers will need to keep that momentum strong as they head into 2026.

• Hoover "Paradigm" - John Kincade has been a steady hand at the top of Hoover's program, and 2025 was his tenth season in charge. The hard work paid off, as Paradigm won the middle mixed division at Tallassee and placed behind only Homewood Continuum and Tift County at Albertville. At their final competition in 2025, Hoover swept Albertville to claim the overall event Grand Championship, their first such win in program history.

Who Has Something to Prove?

• Brandon “Brio” - Brandon's "Rivers of the World" show set a blisteringly high bar that Brio has not matched since then. While they are still considered a titan in the South, they must prove that they still have the capability to beat top-tier groups consistently. Last season, Brio only claimed one grand championship. They were also beaten by West Jones Imagination, an extremely heavy underdog. Will Brandon step up and vanquish the doubters in 2026? Only time will tell.

• Northeast Jones “Gold Horizons” - Northeast Jones was notorious in the middle division while under the legendary direction of Bill Myers. However, since his retirement in 2023, Northeast Jones has gotten weaker. Last season, they managed to beat their longtime rival, South Jones, just once. Northeast Jones will need to show the southern circuit that they are strong without Myers and are still reign as the middle division titans.

• Most of Alabama's middle mixed division - While Homewood Continuum rose as the class of the field in the division and Hoover was a stout early-season contender, the rest of the season was a bit of a melting pot. Accolades in the division are there for whoever wants them in 2026. Vestavia Hills, Jasper, Albertville, Helena, Pike Road, and Leeds are among the choirs that have that opportunity in front of them this season.

  
  

What Competitions are Looking Good? 

• Jan. 24: Northwest Rankin MusicFest - A solid competition to kick off the first weekend back includes Jackson Academy, Jackson Prep, and Madison Central to help sort out what initially seems to be the middle of the Mississippi groups.

• Feb. 7: Oak Mountain King of the Mountain Invitational - West Jones, Jackson Prep, Madison Central and Auburn travel to Birmingham (where they will meet locals Spain Park and Vestavia Hills) to give a true Mississippi-versus-Alabama showdown in the third week of the competition season. This event will show how the average of each state’s competition levels compare with each other.

• Feb. 14: Homewood South Central Classic - Oak Mountain and Auburn take the mantle to defend their home state against not only Jackson Academy, but also the Southern dominator that is Clinton. Will one of these groups make Clinton bleed, or will Clinton continue to roll?

• Feb. 21: Jackson Prep Show Choir Masters - Some group is not going to leave this competition happy, and there might be more than one. Clinton emerges as the favorite at this Mississippi showdown, but Brandon and Grenada are nipping at their heels. Northwest Rankin and Madison Central are watching from the outside looking to steal a second runner-up placement, or maybe even first runner-up. Watch out for something crazy to happen here (but that’s just a gut feeling).

• Feb. 28: Auburn Show Choir Showdown - The MacDaddy of Southern competitions this year: Homewood. Grenada. Oak Mountain. Petal. What more needs to be said?

Miscellaneous News and Notes

• Tupelo’s Grasp - For the last few years, Tupelo has absolutely OWNED the single-gender division in the South, and the all caps is not hyperbolic. They’ve beat extra-large groups consistently and placed themselves as a top-ten overall group in the South. However, a couple other womens groups have really started to not only take notice, but also action (namely Oak Mountain’s The Muses). There will be people watching to see if Oak Mountain or anyone else can finally catch up to Tupelo.

• Small, but Gritty: The hidden gem of the Southern circuit lies in its smallest division. With newer program like West Marion and Oxford topping the division, blue-blood programs in Pisgah and Wayne County constantly posing a threat in the mix, and fairly strong groups on the outskirts of the circuit like Rome and Tarpon Springs also threatening the more central programs, the small division the South remains a constant and ever-changing battle. Throw in the fact that this tier is where new programs almost always begin, this year bringing Houston Academy and Hattiesburg, you just never know what you’re going to get.

Competition season is coming in fast, so get ready for another season full of ups and downs and performances that will leave you starstruck. Until then, Godspeed!