Sauk Prairie High School Show Choir season kicks off

On January 4, 2025 Sauk Prairie High School kicked off its competitive Show Choir schedule in Holmen, WI at the Gathering 2025 Show Choir Competition. While many Show Choirs have their show fully completed in the autumn, with many students participating in both competitive Marching Band and Show Choir, Sauk Prairie completes music arrangements, choreography, and costuming during Winter Break—so January 4th is an early start to show off their work so far. Saturday’s competition in Holmen featured 16 High School Show Choirs from Wisconsin and as far away as South Dakota, as well as exhibition performances by Holmen’s middle school and high school show choirs. Sauk Prairie High School has two show choirs, YTBN (Yet to be Named), a single-gender group with over 40 students, and Executive Session, a co-ed varsity group with 44 singer/dancers, 15-member show band, and 3 crew members. YTBN’s theme this year is based on the Broadway musical Head Over Heels (featuring music by the Go-Go’s), and Executive Session is performing a medley from the Broadway musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Both of these groups are directed by High School music director, Matthew Brennan, with assistants Jennifer Gulsvig-Dunn, Steve Jaeckel, and Evan Lange. This weekend YTBN placed 3rd in a very competitive Single Voicing Division. The high-energy show features 80s music from the Go-Go’s, and fashion and hair to match! From rockers to aerobicizers, from big hair to crimped locks, from net stockings to leg warmers, the group brought girl power to every note and move. Soloists, who just auditioned for their spots last week, included Acacia Lemmer-Engelking, Ava Johnson, Sara Francour, Alyssa Himebach, Suzannah Van Halgren and Lydia Zajieck, and they sang with confidence and poise. Full musical arrangements for the show band are still being fine-tuned, so we look forward to this group continuing to grow and harmonize, all while dancing the night away.  Executive Session performed in the afternoon and then qualified for finals in the evening. Since the 1990s, Sauk Prairie Show Choir has performed a show based on a single Broadway musical, with an emphasis on vocals, movement and character development, and less emphasis on costume changes. This year’s show is passionate and lyrical, a delight for the ears and the eyes. In the finals Executive Session placed 4th Runner Up, with the schools closest to Holmen—Onalaska, Sparta, and La Crosse—earning the top awards.  Elleigh Harter and Sam Roberts were recognized as Showstoppers (outstanding performers for the group). Both are featured as soloists, along with Simon Homp, Lila Shadewald, Ava John, Lucas Denis, Emma Rhyner, Micah Boerger, Taylor Babcock, Noah Showalter, Alliae Krueger, Paolo Yanke, and Mandy Johnson. Both Show Choirs, plus the Middle School Show Choir, were on the road last weekend competing at Onalaska. Our Sauk Prairie Middle School Show Choir, “Soaring Sound,” is directed by MS choir director Jennifer Gulsvig-Dunn and features over 70 - 7th and 8th graders. This year’s show features songs about “Time.” They competed Friday night January 10, with the High School competition the next day. One chance to see all of our Show Choirs at home will be as hosts for our Sauk Prairie Invitational January 24-25, 2025. Friday night, January 24, YTBN will open the competition at 5:45 p.m., with Executive Session and Soaring Sound performing after 8pm before the awards.  Both High School Groups perform again in Exhibition on Saturday during the High School Competition.