GSD Show Choir Wrap-Up for 2024 Season

Grenada High School’s Visions show choir capped off a stellar season with the biggest prize ever received by the program — a second-place trophy from the Show Choir Nationals competition at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.

The competition, held March 22-23, traditionally hosts the best high school show choirs from the Midwest and Southeast. Grenada had never placed among the top six choirs until their two performances, which earned them first runner-up status.

Grenada’s show choir program has built a reputation for excellence over the years, and Director Jenni Winter believes the “work in progress” has finally earned its due. “This is what we’ve been working for,” she said. “I’ve had a few alumni send messages, telling me how proud they were. I told them, ‘You’re part of this. You might not have been on that stage, but thanks to the hard work hours you put in, you helped build this.’”

Those years of hard work reached a pinnacle this year, Winter said, as this group’s work ethic is the best she’s ever seen. “They really bought into it this year,” she said, “and I firmly believe that made all the difference.”

It didn’t hurt that some of those alumni — including Matthew Murphy, Claire Barker, and Tripp McCrory — helped design a show that excelled in choreography, story, song choice, and entertainment value. Among the selections were popular songs by Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac, Silk Sonic, Billy Joel, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The show, “Ugly,” is a creative reimagining of the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling.” Senior Anna Herring starred as a meager duck that finds her way out of the pond, encounters friends and foes in the form of other birds, and ultimately rises to claim her inner beauty. In addition to Herring, the show features solos from Braley Carnathan, Kyler Pittman, Hannah Palazzolo, Naima Reed, and A.J. Benford, who won Best Male Performance honors among all the choirs in Nashville.  

“A lot of what made this show special was the characters and the meaning at the end,” Winter said. “It says, ‘Hey, you might not fit in everywhere you go, kind of like school or even after you graduate. But hold true to yourself, and you will eventually find your place in life.’”

Visions traveled all around the state performing at festivals this winter. They finished second among the state’s top choirs at the Petal Show Choir Invitational (Feb. 24) and took home Grand Champion trophies, along with all the major category awards, at both the first-ever Tupelo King City Classic (Feb. 17) and the Madison Central Deep South Classic (March 2). The group’s lowest showing was still a solid third-place finish at the Jackson Academy Show Choir Invitational (Feb. 3), where senior Case Smith was named Best Performer. 

Among the three show choirs at Grenada Middle School, Winter’s Entertainers also competed around the state this season. Their show, “Beetlejuice,” was based on the movie and featured such popular songs as “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish, “Think” by Aretha Franklin, and “Hold My Hand” by Lady Gaga.

Entertainers earned their highest marks with second-place finishes at Petal and Madison Central, where they also won the award for Best Costumes. 

“It was a fun show, but I think next year, we’ll put on a category or theme show so we can concentrate less on story and more on performing and vocals,” Winter said. “If we spend more time on the fundamentals, the kids will be that much further ahead when they get to Visions.”

The future of the program looks sound with the robust elementary choir Pizzazz also learning the competition circuit. The choir, made up of 4th and 5th graders from Grenada Elementary’s Green Top, is led by Amy Killebrew. 

Pizzazz’s competition show, “Catch a Wave,” featured songs by the Beach Boys, the Temptations, and popular numbers from Disney’s “Teen Beach Movie” to go with the surfing theme.

“This show was full of fun and excitement and awarded us first place at every competition we attended this season,” Killebrew said. 

The group won first place in the small middle-school division at Jackson Prep and Jackson Academy, where they also won the Judges Choice Award and the JASI Award, competing against 7th and 8th graders. They ended their season in Tupelo, competing in the Upper Elementary division, and brought home first place as well as a top male soloist award for 5th grader Waylon Elliott, who competed against singers in grades 6-8. 

“This year we had some amazing 5th graders that I will for sure miss next year,” Killebrew said. “My 4th graders have grown so much over the course of a year, and they are going to be great leaders for next year's group.”

Pizzazz will hold its spring show April 4 at the Green Top. 

Current 3rd or 4th graders interested in joining next year’s choir are invited to apply. Forms are available in the school offices, and auditions are May 1 from 3:00-4:30.

The GMS Entertainers will perform their competition show at their spring event on April 11 at the GHS Auditorium. The Visions Spring Show, which includes a performance of “Ugly,” will be held April 18-19 in the GHS Auditorium. Auditions for all the GMS and GHS choirs will be held May 6-10.