Show choirs to compete at Wheaton Warrenville South event
High school show choirs, concert choirs and soloists from six states will display their vocal talents Saturday during Wheaton Warrenville South High School's second annual Choral Classic.
Organizers say more than 1,000 students will perform during the invitational event, which runs 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. March 14 at the high school, 1920 S. Wiesbrook Road, Wheaton.
The daytime schedule of preliminary competition will feature more than 15 groups from as far away as Mississippi.
"It's going to be a huge deal," said Mark Hannan, co-chair of the committee that planned the choral festival. "It's also going to be exciting and fun. These kids are going to be cheering for each other."
In addition to a show choir competition, the daylong event will include a traditional vocal performance competition and soloist competitions. Local high schools sending groups include Rolling Meadows, Palatine and Waubonsie Valley in Aurora.
The show choir competition will be especially exciting for anyone who hasn't seen one before, according to Mary Perrotti, one of 200 volunteers helping with the event.
"If you have never heard of show choir or seen it before, you're like, 'What's this all about?'" Perrotti said.
She compared show choir to condensing a musical into a 15-minute performance.
"It's high-paced song and dance," Perrotti said. "There's costume changes. There's hair and makeup. It's a very big production. Many of the schools have themes to their productions, so it's very entertaining."
The show choir groups competing throughout the day will be judged on visual as well as vocal skills, organizers said. Visually, judges will score the groups on choreography, costuming, pacing and flow, facial communication and poise. Vocally, the judges will look for excellence in tone quality, diction, communication of lyrics and interpretation.
The finals in the evening will feature the top six groups chosen by the judges. The winner of the final round will be named grand champion.
Two of Wheaton Warrenville South's show choirs - Esprit and The Classics - are slated to do exhibition performances.
About 3,000 people are expected to attend Saturday's event. Money raised will benefit the choral program at Wheaton Warrenville South.
If you go
What: Wheaton Warrenville South High School Choral Classic
When: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 14
Where: Wheaton Warrenville South High School, 1920 S. Wiesbrook Road, Wheaton
Tickets: $15