|
WATERLOO — Show choirs from four states, including several from northeast Indiana, will compete Saturday at DeKalb High School.
The DeKalb Show Choir Invitational will feature 28 competing choirs, plus exhibition performances by choirs from DeKalb High School and DeKalb Middle School.
Competition begins at 8 a.m. and continues until 11 p.m. on three stages. Tickets cost $8 for the day or night show and $14 for an all-day pass.
“We are thankful in this economy to be able to remain a large event,” said Tim Smith, who is co-chairing the show for the fifth time with his wife, Cathy.
Other contests are seeing a sharp reduction in the number of choirs entering, due to travel budget restrictions, Tim Smith said.
“They like our competition. They are willing to travel to our contest,” he said. “We are very blessed this year with getting 28 choirs, and we’re really happy with it.”
As one of its attractions, DeKalb’s contest will be the first qualifying site for Indiana’s state finals.
Castle High School of Newburgh, in southern Indiana, will travel 380 miles to DeKalb’s competition.
But choirs also are coming from outside Indiana — Crestview and Twinsburg of Ohio, Tecumseh of Michigan and the defending champion, Buffalo Grove of Illinois. Twinsburg ranks 23rd in a Web site’s national ratings system, which ranks DeKalb 11th.
Local high school choirs are entered from Garrett, East Noble, Lakeland, Carroll, Churubusco, Bishop Dwenger, Northrop, Bellmont and Woodlan. Eastside of Butler entered in the middle school division.
DeKalb Middle School’s choir performs in exhibition at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium.
Audiences also will see exhibition performances by DeKalb High School’s Sound Sensation girls choir and Classic Connection mixed choir, both defending state champions. Sound Sensation performs at 5:30 p.m., and Classic Connection performs around 10:30 p.m., both in the main gymnasium.
Garrett girls take the stage at 12:30 p.m. in the auditorium, as one of 10 girls choirs competing for trophies.
Eastside Middle School will sing at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium.
In all, 10 mixed choirs will compete in the championship division, with the top six advancing to the finals at 7 p.m. Six more mixed choirs will compete in the varsity division, with results based on one performance apiece Saturday morning.
Ten girls’ choirs will perform in the auditorium with trophies at stake. Eastside and Woodside will be the middle-school competitors.
In a separate contest in a music practice room, 40 soloists from high school choirs will compete for awards.
Competitors and audience members can dine in the high school cafeteria from a menu that features food from Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Dairy Queen, Arby’s and Chick-fil-A, plus a potato bar and salads.
Local donors sponsor awards, and all proceeds of the event support DeKalb’s show choirs.
“The support of the local businesses has meant the most to the DeKalb choirs and me,” Tim Smith. “We know the economy is not doing well, and they still help us out with buying ads in the program book and trophy sponsorships.”
|
