Winner's Circle, 3/28/26: Two California Groups, A Canadian Group, A Tie, And More

By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

Winning isn’t everything, but it certainly is something. Here’s a look at who took overall Grand Championships this past weekend, and what it means in historical context.

Disclaimer: Win totals are sourced from showchoir.com. Only overall event grand champions are listed. Not every show choir competition is documented online, and as such, all win totals should be considered unofficial. To view a full spreadsheet of data, click here.

California

Cypress: Carlsbad Sound Express took musicianship and the advanced division win over Hart Collective Harts. Sound Express was a newcomer to the advanced division this year, having competed in intermediate at Esperanza. This is Carlsbad’s second overall win and first since Bonita Vista in 2019, where Chula Vista was the only other group in advanced.

Massachusetts

Waltham: Marysville Swingers Unlimited swept Tantasqua and Lowell at the Eastern Show Choir Festival. This is Marysville’s third win at Waltham, having previously won the event in 2022 and 2018. Swingers Unlimited ends the 2026 competition season with five consecutive victories. Marysville is currently tied with John Burroughs for seventh on the all-time list.

Mississippi

Brandon: Northwest Rankin The Ambassadors won the extra-large mixed division and took the overall win over Jackson Academy. It was NWR’s second consecutive win at Elite, becoming the first multi-time winner in event history. It was also The Ambassadors’ second consecutive win this season, capping director Toney Keeler’s tenure with a pair of triumphs.

Nebraska

Northeast CC: Norfolk Velocity was one of two large-division groups at the Jazz Festival and scored higher than Council Bluffs Jefferson to secure the win. Velocity now counts seven wins at Northeast, which is located in Norfolk, and has not lost since 2019, a contest won by Hastings Uncaged on Stage. Velocity moved up to 16^th all-time for competitions won in the state of Nebraska.

Oklahoma

Edmond Santa Fe: Edmond Memorial Act II and Edmond Santa Fe Finale tied for the overall win in a contest scored on raw points. This is the show choir community’s first grand champion tie of the season. Memorial remains technically undefeated this season, pairing this tie with outright wins at Duncan and Enid. This is Santa Fe’s first publicly-recorded win since Duncan in 2019.

Regional

Heart of America Orlando: Los Alamitos Sound FX stormed to a vocals/choreo win over Johnston and Westside. It was Sound FX’s first win of the season after placing second at each of their first two competitions. Los Alamitos became the first group to win HOA Orlando multiple times in the event’s seven-edition history. Sound FX now stands at 17 wins in regional/national competitions, tied for most in available records.

Show Choir Canada: Etobicoke Splash competed for the first time since 2023 and found a familiar setting – first place. Etobicoke now has eight wins at Show Choir Canada, while all other choirs have combined for five. The last time Splash lost was at FAME Chicago 2019 in a split-caption decision to Jackson Prep, and the last time they lost at Show Choir Canada was 2015.