Good for Tarpon Springs. I don't think they have a Show Choir option in Florida, so they typically have to travel to Mississippi and Alabama to find competitions. Nice to see them going home with some hardware.
There is FAME Orlando, but we don't have much show choir down here in Florida. I'm currently at the third largest College of Music in the country (or maybe it's the world), and we don't have one.
Good for Tarpon Springs. I don't think they have a Show Choir option in Florida, so they typically have to travel to Mississippi and Alabama to find competitions. Nice to see them going home with some hardware.
My thoughts,
- Clinton and Auburn were the clear 1 and 2 and that surprised no one.
- The battle was for 3rd and it is a shame Albertville performed first in the AA Tier. I think that hurt them and they didn't make finals. They deserved to be there, but who do you leave out?
- Oak Mountain is an up and comer. "Muses" win and "Singers" had some of the best solos we heard all night which helped them jump over Jackson Prep. "Muses" soloist wound up in a sing-off for best female soloist. I don't think they are going away and Homewood and Albertville may (finally) have some competition for the second best Mixed Show Choir in Alabama. The Singers deserved to jump Jackson in the finals and I think there were more members of the audience standing at the end of their finals performance (including the judges) than after any other show choir. There isn't much contest for best single gender group. I've seen all the single genders a couple of times now and the "Muses" are just amazing vocally which seems to have overcome everything else the last two weeks. Don't go grab a sandwich when any Oak Mountain Choir performs. Very enjoyable.
- Clinton was solid and as usual the boys were incredibly strong. The girls however were good, but not great. They may be vulnerable. I thought Auburn had better vocals but the judges, who know better, saw it differently.
- Auburn was strong but their choreo has some things that need fixing. Their program had a lot of energy in Montgomery and seems to have lost a little steam. Everything is there, it's tough to judge the Auburn vocals completely though due to the nature of their show. You'll have to go see them to understand. I don't wan to give anything away.
- Jackson Prep came out strong but seemed to fade in the finals. They were good enough to do better but they played their A game in the first performance and seemed a bit less focused later.
This was a fantastic competition to be able to witness! It became very competitive as each group stepped up on the stage. I didn't see one performance I didn't like, and it was definitely a treat to be able to see all of these great groups in one place.
Albertville- I love your show! You execute your show well and do a great job of sending out the message you are trying to tell. The opener is very high energy, the boys feature rocks, and who doesn't love a fully functional pink Barbie car coming on stage during the girls feature?! I wish the energy carried over into the 2nd half of the show. Your ballad is amazing, and one of my favorite ones of the year. Sometimes I hear some intonation issues, but overall it's your biggest "wow" moment. The closer feels slow and non energized.
Opelika- When I first heard that your show was based on nothing but music by Coldplay, I was very skeptical. But I have to say, it turned out great! The ballad is beautiful. You have energized, sharp, and intricate choreography! That, matched up with the lighting y'all have on stage and the lights that project into the audience makes for some amazing visual effects throughout the show! I wish your vocals matched that. They sound non energized throughout the whole entire show and you sing at one volume. Consider adding more dynamic changes throughout the show. I thoroughly enjoy your performance!
Clinton- Oh Clinton. First off, I have to start off by saying how amazing all of your costumes are. Seriously so beautiful, like always! The show started off slow for me, but really picked up pace when the fortune teller came on stage. Your vocals are amazing. You may not give me everything I want stylistically, but you sing with the most grown and mature sound I have heard. Choreography is awesome as always. THE BOYS CAN DANCE LIKE NOBODIES BUSINESS. The guys feature was seriously one of the highlights of the show. The use of the mirrors turned into creepy clown was awesome and unexpected. The bumper cars were awesome. Lots of fun surprises which made the show interesting and left me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next!
Brandon- You started out strong, especially in the opener, but it fell for me once you started introducing all the characters through the show. The whole thing was way too busy for me. I liked the idea, but similar to Clinton's show last year with "creatures of the night" instead of fairy tales. Your choreography was very sharp and did a great job of helping portray the story. The many solos and business of the show overshadowed your vocals though. The only time I was really ever intrigued by your vocals was during the ballad, which sounded fantastic! Overall, great show and entertaining to watch even though it was a little much at times!
Auburn- Auburn, Auburn, Auburn! Still #1 on my favorite show in the south thus far this year! It is so much fun and I can really tell that you all love it so much. The passion and energy I can see in your faces, through your choreography, and the sound of your voices leaves me pleased and in awe every single time. I love the brightness in your tone and it's amazing how you can make the switch to a darker tone so well during the darker parts of the show. A King is Born and Like Father, Like Son stay stuck in my head all day long. I love your choreography. It has a fantastic balance of epic, intricate dancing and using it as interpretation of the story. And let me just congratulate your soloist too. They all do an amazing job on their characters! Great job Eron Smith and the Varsity Singers on another amazing show!
Jackson Prep- New Orleans is one of my favorite vacation spots, so it was nice to get a little taste of that in your show and you did an excellent job of adding in little elements of NOLA which really added a lot to your show! The choreography was very clean and sharp! The vocals lagged energy for me at parts, but overall you sounded great! Your costumes were also fantastic. My favorite was the white dress and the blue suit for the guys. Great show!
Oak Mountain- It was a pleasure to see you guys again because I grow to love the show more and more each time I see it. First off, the use of the TV's to tell the day was a fantastic idea. I love the design of the show! The show starts strong and ends strong, but I lose you in the middle. Your costumes are beautiful. I felt that your vocals were lagging last night, especially in the women's sound. The closer always makes me want to stand up and start clapping along with you! My favorite Oak Mountain in the "Singers" and Michael Zauchin era.
After prelims my placements were:
Clinton
Auburn
Jackson Prep
Oak Mountain
Albertville
Brandon
Opelika
After finals my prediction was:
GC- Clinton (BV, BC, BB)
1RU- Auburn (OE)
2RU- Oak Mountain
3RU- Jackson Prep
4RU- Brandon
After finals was over, there was really no shock in the order of placements.
Like I said before, FANTASTIC competition put on by Homewood! I enjoyed myself all day long.
PS- Does anyone have repertoire information for Auburn or Homewood?
I have Homewood's repertoire, but I don't know if I can release that yet since they have another competition left.
This was a fantastic competition to be able to witness! It became very competitive as each group stepped up on the stage. I didn't see one performance I didn't like, and it was definitely a treat to be able to see all of these great groups in one place.
Albertville- I love your show! You execute your show well and do a great job of sending out the message you are trying to tell. The opener is very high energy, the boys feature rocks, and who doesn't love a fully functional pink Barbie car coming on stage during the girls feature?! I wish the energy carried over into the 2nd half of the show. Your ballad is amazing, and one of my favorite ones of the year. Sometimes I hear some intonation issues, but overall it's your biggest "wow" moment. The closer feels slow and non energized.
Opelika- When I first heard that your show was based on nothing but music by Coldplay, I was very skeptical. But I have to say, it turned out great! The ballad is beautiful. You have energized, sharp, and intricate choreography! That, matched up with the lighting y'all have on stage and the lights that project into the audience makes for some amazing visual effects throughout the show! I wish your vocals matched that. They sound non energized throughout the whole entire show and you sing at one volume. Consider adding more dynamic changes throughout the show. I thoroughly enjoy your performance!
Clinton- Oh Clinton. First off, I have to start off by saying how amazing all of your costumes are. Seriously so beautiful, like always! The show started off slow for me, but really picked up pace when the fortune teller came on stage. Your vocals are amazing. You may not give me everything I want stylistically, but you sing with the most grown and mature sound I have heard. Choreography is awesome as always. THE BOYS CAN DANCE LIKE NOBODIES BUSINESS. The guys feature was seriously one of the highlights of the show. The use of the mirrors turned into creepy clown was awesome and unexpected. The bumper cars were awesome. Lots of fun surprises which made the show interesting and left me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next!
Brandon- You started out strong, especially in the opener, but it fell for me once you started introducing all the characters through the show. The whole thing was way too busy for me. I liked the idea, but similar to Clinton's show last year with "creatures of the night" instead of fairy tales. Your choreography was very sharp and did a great job of helping portray the story. The many solos and business of the show overshadowed your vocals though. The only time I was really ever intrigued by your vocals was during the ballad, which sounded fantastic! Overall, great show and entertaining to watch even though it was a little much at times!
Auburn- Auburn, Auburn, Auburn! Still #1 on my favorite show in the south thus far this year! It is so much fun and I can really tell that you all love it so much. The passion and energy I can see in your faces, through your choreography, and the sound of your voices leaves me pleased and in awe every single time. I love the brightness in your tone and it's amazing how you can make the switch to a darker tone so well during the darker parts of the show. A King is Born and Like Father, Like Son stay stuck in my head all day long. I love your choreography. It has a fantastic balance of epic, intricate dancing and using it as interpretation of the story. And let me just congratulate your soloist too. They all do an amazing job on their characters! Great job Eron Smith and the Varsity Singers on another amazing show!
Jackson Prep- New Orleans is one of my favorite vacation spots, so it was nice to get a little taste of that in your show and you did an excellent job of adding in little elements of NOLA which really added a lot to your show! The choreography was very clean and sharp! The vocals lagged energy for me at parts, but overall you sounded great! Your costumes were also fantastic. My favorite was the white dress and the blue suit for the guys. Great show!
Oak Mountain- It was a pleasure to see you guys again because I grow to love the show more and more each time I see it. First off, the use of the TV's to tell the day was a fantastic idea. I love the design of the show! The show starts strong and ends strong, but I lose you in the middle. Your costumes are beautiful. I felt that your vocals were lagging last night, especially in the women's sound. The closer always makes me want to stand up and start clapping along with you! My favorite Oak Mountain in the "Singers" and Michael Zauchin era.
After prelims my placements were:
Clinton
Auburn
Jackson Prep
Oak Mountain
Albertville
Brandon
Opelika
After finals my prediction was:
GC- Clinton (BV, BC, BB)
1RU- Auburn (OE)
2RU- Oak Mountain
3RU- Jackson Prep
4RU- Brandon
After finals was over, there was really no shock in the order of placements.
Like I said before, FANTASTIC competition put on by Homewood! I enjoyed myself all day long.
PS- Does anyone have repertoire information for Auburn or Homewood?
GC - Clinton (Sweep)
1RU - Auburn
2RU - Oak Mountain
3RU - Jackson Prep
4RU - Brandon Brio
Will be interesting to see how 2nd RU and below turn out. Clinton is in a league of their own, and Auburn is barely trailing behind them in my opinion this year.
Wow! This guy sure does know his stuff! Oh wait....
GC - Clinton (Sweep)
1RU - Auburn
2RU - Oak Mountain
3RU - Jackson Prep
4RU - Brandon Brio
Will be interesting to see how 2nd RU and below turn out. Clinton is in a league of their own, and Auburn is barely trailing behind them in my opinion this year.
Not bad...
Homewood South Central Classic (Day Two) 2016
