If you’ve ever seen the show “Glee”, then you’ve heard of show choir.
Show choir has been one of the most revered activities at Totino-Grace, led by Minnesota powerhouses, the Company of Singers. They’ve won a plethora of awards at many competitions throughout the years, but how will they fare in the upcoming 2025 season?
The recent 2024 show, “Dreamland,” was highly anticipated by fans throughout the Midwest. A Homeroom ShowChoir article called Company of Singers “a group that appears poised to reclaim their spot as regional titans.” Unfortunately, in several aspects, the mysterious and jazzy show fell flat.
Totino-Grace managed to take home a pair of third place trophies, as well as a pair of fifth place awards. Homeroom ShowChoir writer Damyre Perry, in his review of the 2024 season, wrote: “Minnesota show choir has rubber-banded, with several groups markedly better than they were before. TG got swept up in that group a little bit and will look to distinguish themselves in the future.”
Company of Singers director and Totino-Grace choir teacher Philip Brown stated that despite lackluster results, he was extremely proud of the group.
Regarding the 2024 season, Brown said, “I think the season went pretty well. We wanted more results, of course, but you can’t really control those kinds of things. It boils down to ability and if you’re doing your best, which is something we did very well.”
Brown believes following the paradigm of maturity and individual improvements are the best ways the group could improve overall.
“Things change, whether it be new faces in the group or new tension between members; overall, it affects the group as much as they allow it to. If everyone involved individually gets ten percent better, then what happens to the group, you know?”
Donny Lockwood, a second year member who grew up in the show choir scene from a very young age, added on to what Brown said.
“I think Dreamland was a very difficult show. There were some parts that lacked cohesion due to tensions and negativity. However, it seems like a lot of the drama was left in the past for this year. I think we look promising so far for 2025,” said Lockwood.
The 2025 Company of Singers show theme, centered on the biblical story of the Tower of Babylon, is a reference to the strong rooted Christian faith in Totino-Grace. This theme is creatively new to what other choirs have tried before, which could pose challenges, as well as triumph.
“This is a theme that hasn’t been often seen before in our region. It opens up a world of creative opportunity, especially with our plan for props. Plus, a theme like this, one that hasn’t been seen a lot, gives us a great opportunity to stand out in a positive light,” said Brown.
“It’s certainly a different theme. Being centered around our faith and including different languages definitely could be a challenge, but I think it will add a very interesting layer to our show. A creatively fun theme is a very good thing to have to try to cut down on stress,” said Lockwood.
One of the most important elements of a successful show choir is the musicians behind the dancers on stage. Band director Timothy Hoffman voiced his thoughts on last season and looking forward to the next.
“The Dreamland show was fun and interesting. There was great improvement from comp to comp. I think if the band can carry on from where we left off last year, especially with all the returning members, then the 2025 season will be filled with success.”
Hoffman’s group earned a pair of Best Band awards, including one at the illustrious FAME competition in Orlando, Florida.
“I once watched an interview with the director of the show Glee, and what he said really resonated with me. He said that as musicians, it’s our job to take the music given to us and make it the absolute best we can,” said Hoffman.
“It’s not our job as performers to say whether we think a song is good or bad. We just gotta go out and play it.”
Company of Singers will look to turn their fortunes around in the 2025 season, attending several competitions in the Midwest region.
