West Virginia State Show Choir Moves to More Central Location for 2026, Draws Kanawha and Panhandle Ensembles
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Tonya Chase, West Virginia countributor
Show choirs from all over West Virginia will be traveling the Appalachian hills as they make their way to Robert C. Byrd High School in Clarksburg, the venue for the West Virginia State Show Choir Festival. Unlike other competitions throughout the season, this festival is hosted by the West Virginia Vocal Music Association (WVVMA). Mady McNemar-Rhodes, this year’s chairperson of the state show choir festival, is proud her school will be venue for this event.
“We are so fortunate to have a theater and large staging area," McNemar-Rhodes said. "We are constantly updating the technology of our space.”
All regulations for the festival are established by the WVVMA in their bylaws. This year, the association will resume timing the event, something that had been eliminated in previous years due to possible obstacles with the venue and portable stages. According to McNemar-Rhodes, “the general assembly [of the association] voted to expand each group’s time limit to thirty minutes [from twenty-five] to account for student safety.”
In the championship division, reigning champion Hurricane Red Hot will be focused on retaining their title. This will only be Red Hot’s second in-state event, facing their competitors for the first time in 2026. They will be challenged by fellow Putnam County outfits Poca Visual Volume and Winfield General Admission. Robert C. Byrd Vocal Intensity and Huntington Illusions, both large ensembles, will be looking to break up the power three with amazing performances of their own.
The Festival division has Musselman Kaleidoscope, Grafton Entertainers and Spring Mills Flight facing off for a grand championship. These choirs have been limited this season by the unrelenting weather and hope to finish on a bright note. While Kaleidoscope and Entertainers have competitions under their belt, this will be Flight’s debut on the performance stage this season.
The most competitive division will be the Womens Division as Winfield Emerald Elegance’s vocally strong artistic presentation of “The Giving Tree” defends their state championship against Hurricane Heat Wave’s choreographically-intense diamond heist. Emerald Elegance comes into this competition undefeated with multiple overall grand championships in small division and regional competitions. They bring in experience with seasoned members and established leadership. After a rocky start at the Beavercreek Midwest Show Choir Classic, Heat Wave has won four divisional championships, including a win over Petal Innovations at the Cosby Titan Tournament of Champions. This will be the youngest high school choir on stage, with nearly two-thirds of the singer/dancers competing in their first season.
This year’s competition will host five middle schools, all eyeing to win the first Middle School State Championship since 2022. Martinsburg South South Spirit hopes to continue their undefeated season as they face fellow eastern panhandle groups Spring Mills Revolution and Saint Joseph Genesis. They will be accompanied by Lincoln Soundwaves and first-year choir Liberty Lyrics.
In addition to gifts for spectators’ favorite performers, this competition will be
introducing the reverse shout out. This gives students the opportunity to publicly thank
parents, family, teachers, and directors for ongoing support throughout the show choir
season.
States is a one-and-done competition, meaning that each group will only have one shot to prove that they are best in class and deserve bragging rights over the state for another year.