By Sam Bianco
The Central Massachusetts Show Choir Festival is hosted at Shepherd Hill Regional High School on the first weekend in February each year. This year, it hosted 19 competing high school choirs among three divisions: small mixed (SM), which is a mixed group consisting of less than 40 performers; unisex (US), any group that consists exclusively of boys or girls; and large mixed (LM), any mixed group of more than 40 performers. This is a common division structure in the northeast. It loosely ties to tier one and tier two competitions in the Midwest (with tier one being large mixed and tier two being small mixed).
SMALL MIXED
Bishop Hendriken – Paramount – School of Rock – SM – Silver Medal – Grand Champions
Excellent Ballad
Overall Character and Theme
Best Male Soloist
Best Female Soloist
South Windsor – Choral Spectrum – SM – Silver Medal – 1st Runner-Up
Amazing Solo Stage Presence
Best Band
Bartlett – Impressions – SM – Silver Medal – 2nd Runner-Up
Peoples Choice
Boston Latin – Pizzaz – SM – Silver Medal – UR
Whitman-Hanson – High Frequency – The Hard Wired Harmonics – SM – Silver Medal - UR
Outstanding Guitar Player
Outstanding Character in a Solo
Individual Performance
Student Choreographer
Joseph Case High School – ShowCASE – Revolution – SM – Bronze Medal - UR
Windsor Locks – Vocal Motion – Another World – SM – Broze Medal – UR
UNISEX
Andover – Back to Bass-ics – Final Countdown – US – Silver Medal – Grand Champion
Captivating Performer - Back to Bass-ics
Best Male Solo
Lowell – Soundsations – Bound For Broadway – US – Silver Medal – 1st Runner-Up
Best Female Solo
Peoples Choice
Andover – Nothin’ But Treble – Dreams –US – Silver Medal – 2nd Runner-Up
Somerset Berkley – Amplified – Mean Girls – US – Bronze Medal – 3rd Runner-Up
Best Band
Shepherd Hill – Illusion – Confidence is Beautiful – HOST/US
LARGE MIXED
Daniel Hand – Vibe – Salem Witch Trials – LM – Gold - GC
Outstanding Character
Best Female Solo- Daniel Hand
Best Band - Daniel Hand
Oliver Ames – Panache – LM – Gold – 1st Runner-Up
Extreme Dynamics Control
Best Horns
Olentangy – Keynotes – LM – Gold – 2nd Runner-Up
Outstanding Solo
Andover – From Start to Finish – Freak Show – LM – Gold – 3rd Runner-Up
Overall Theatrical Excellence
Tantasqua – Encore – Aliens? – LM – Silver - UR
People’s Choice
Lowell – Sound Impressions – LM – Silver - UR
Drop The Mic
Best Male Solo
Waltham – Music Unlimited – LM – Silver - UR
Sum Greater Than It's Parts Solo
Simply Phenomenal Men
Somerset Berkley – First Date – LM – Silver - UR
Amazing Stage Presence
Shepherd Hill – Fantasy – Fahrenheit 451 – HOST/LM