Wheaton Warrenville South Wows Again with Wildy Diverse Lineup
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Dylan Moss, Illinois contributor
The Wheaton Warrenville South Choral Classic has long been the marquee event in Illinois, constantly drawing in top talent from both in-state and from all corners of the country. This year proves to be no different, as multiple powers representing five states will do battle in what will surely be a fantastic event to end a chaotic Illinois season.
Lineup (Groups from Illinois unless noted)
Mixed Division
Sullivan “Singers”
John Hersey “OnStage”
Herscher “Class Act”
Franklin Community “Heritage Singers” (IN)
Waubonsie Valley “Sound Check”
Omaha South “The Ambassadors” (NE)
Neenah “Vintage” (WI)
Naperville North “Entourage”
Mt. Zion “Swingsations”
John Burroughs “Powerhouse” (CA)
El Paso-Gridley “Modulations”
Wheaton North “Flight”
Single-Gender
Mt. Zion “You’ve Got Male”
Waubonsie Valley “Resonance”
Franklin Community “Sensations” (IN)
El Paso-Gridley “Hi Fidelity”
Naperville North “Vivant”
John Burroughs “Sound Sensations” (CA)
Mt. Zion “Les Femmes”
Choral Classic always promises a championship mixed division that is stacked to the brim, and they are certainly not breaking that promise this year. At the top, John Burroughs makes the trip across to Wheaton all the way from California, becoming the third California group in a row at Choral Classic, following Los Alamitos in 2024 and Diamond Bar in 2025. Powerhouse is consistently a top-shelf group in the nation, and absolutely enters as the odds-on favorite to take the win.
Wheaton North is coming off a statement win at John Hersey this past weekend, and should be primed for a strong podium finish on their home turf. Mt. Zion has had a very successful comeback season so far, and are coming off a strong second-place showing at Glenwood. Swings absolutely have what it takes to finish on the podium; however, they will need to fend off some strong challengers to do so. El Paso-Gridley is coming off a narrow podium miss at John Hersey; however, they still were able to take down a solid choir in Noblesville, and should be right in the thick of the battle here.
Omaha South has truly found their footing as a program these past few years, and are sporting two wins this season coming in. While they sometimes have a spottier record out of state, they should still be right up with some of the best in the lineup. Waubonsie Valley is coming off an insane comeback second-place finish at John Hersey, and as the winningest choir in Choral Classic history, they should not be counted out to do something similar here. Naperville North made their first finals bid of the season last weekend at Hersey, something they will look to repeat here. However, they will face competition from all angles to do so.
Neenah comes down from Wisconsin, where they have been a consistent choir this season, and will certainly be a solid dark horse candidate for finals here. John Hersey, Sullivan, Herscher, and visiting Franklin Community all enter on the smaller side compared to the rest of the choirs here. While they are unlikely candidates for finals, they provide some welcome depth to the lineup, and it will certainly be interesting to see how they place relative to each other.
In the single-gender division, Burroughs Sound Sensations enter as the favorites to win much like their mixed counterparts. Below that though is a smorgasbord of red-hot choirs on a similar playing field. Mt. Zion Les Femmes finally were able to beat their male counterparts You’ve Got Male at Glenwood to make single-gender finals. You’ve Got Male will be hungry for revenge, and they absolutely have the strength for a big finish here, but they will have to do so while performing at the crack of dawn in an 8:00 AM timeslot. Both Mt. Zion groups will be aiming for the top of the division (single-gender groups are not eligible to advance to finals) to finish their friendly rivalry for the season.
Hi Fidelity placed a solid second at John Hersey ahead of numerous good choirs, and have won their division at all their other comps. The ladies will certainly be looking for a podium finish to end the season on a high note, but they will face another very tough lineup here. Naperville Vivant is coming off a strong podium finish last weekend, and it would certainly be a strong end to their season to see that repeated here. Finally, Franklin Community and Waubonsie are both smaller groups, and aren't favorites for a podium placement, but if this season has taught the community anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.
Predictions
Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.
Finals
GC: John Burroughs “Powerhouse” (BV/BC)
1RU: Wheaton North “Flight”
2RU: Mt. Zion “Swingsations”
3RU: El Paso-Gridley “Modulations”
4RU: Omaha South “The Ambassadors”
5RU: Waubonsie Valley “Sound Check”
Single-Gender
1st: John Burroughs “Sound Sensations” (BV/BC)
2nd: El Paso-Gridley “Hi Fidelity”
3rd: Mt. Zion “You’ve Got Male”
4th: Mt. Zion “Les Femmes”
5th: Naperville North “Vivant”
6th: Franklin Community “Sensations”
7th: Waubonsie Valley “Resonance”
Many of the ensembles in attendance, both in-state and traveling, will be ending their seasons at this competitions, meaning the action will be that much hotter and the results will mean that much more. Regardless of what happens, this will go down in the books as another chapter in a storied Choral Classic history.