This Saturday, NC Choirs are starting the 2025 competition season at the annual Pike MusicFest.
Two choirs will compete: Counterpoints and Descants.
Counterpoints are the top mixed choir at NC. Last season they placed second runner up with their show “Work of Art.” Returning members are hoping to do well this year.
“I am excited to touch the hearts of many,” senior Bruce Lismon said.
On Saturday they are debuting “Motown Midas” directed by Daria Weingartner and Jared McElroy. This set combines the story of King Midas with the theme and sounds of Motown Records.
Lismon plays the main character, Midas, throughout the show.
“The songs we are doing are popular or were popular for a moment, like ‘What You Want,’” Lismon said. “We’re also doing some Bruno Mars songs. It will be exciting and it’s under our new director McElroy,” Lismon siad.
McEltroy took over directing the Counterpoints after past director Mike Raunick left last year. Raunick started with the Counterpoints in 2013 and brought them to Show Choir Nationals in 2018, where they won Grand Champion.
Also competing are the Descants. Descants are the top all-female choir. Last season, they performed their show “Vacation Gone Wrong,” and placed second runner up. They were also awarded the Best Soloist and Best Band awards.
This year they are debuting their new set “The Great Descants Bake Off” also directed by Weingartner and McElroy. The set is based on The Great British Baking Show and is meant to take the viewer through the challenges included in the show.
The set has been in development for two to three years and follows a similar pattern to previous years.
“I had this show on the back burner for a couple of years as I worked to develop it into a cohesive idea,” McElroy said. “I start with a Spotify playlist where I save literally hundreds of songs that could work within the show. I try to make sure there are a variety of styles, tempos, genres, etc. to make the show as entertaining as possible.”
This year, Weingarner is taking much of the reins in teaching and developing the show.
“We have Weingartner taking the reins of Descants this year,” McElroy said. “She is doing an amazing job with Descants. These transitions can be tricky at times, but she has fit right into the fold.”
Members are looking forward to the competition and finally seeing the result of their effort.
“I’m mostly looking forward to performing with the new group of people and show our school,” senior Aubrey Hamitr said. “We got our first win last year so I’m hoping we can get another one this year.”
The success of both the Counterpoints and Descants would not be possible without the help of the show choir tech team. These students help to build, move and set up sets. They play an integral role in making these shows happen.
“We loaded all the band stuff, all the speakers, and there’s a lot of chords,” junior Chloe Cochran said. “We usually prepare when the actual choir gets ready, so an hour before we’re supposed to perform we line up behind the stage with all of our stuff and the band gets all of their stuff lined up and then we load everything on.”
On Saturday, each choir will perform in the “Prelim” round and will receive scores from two vocal judges and two visual judges. The top three to five choirs move on to the finals in the evening.
Afterwards the 3rd, 2nd and 1st runner ups are announced. Then the individual awards are announced. Lastly, the Grand Champion will be awarded.
The performers are waiting with anticipation for their season debut.
