Swingin’ on the River: Hastings holds another top-notch show choir contest

10 schools, 18 choirs and a long, fun day of music.

By Bruce Karnick
Posted 3/2/23

Luke Warren, Hastings Senior High Choir Director set the tone of what to expect at Swingin’ on the River, the regional contest that has been held at Hastings High School for 23 years and is the program’s largest fundraiser.

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Swingin’ on the River: Hastings holds another top-notch show choir contest

10 schools, 18 choirs and a long, fun day of music.

Posted

Luke Warren, Hastings Senior High Choir Director set the tone of what to expect at Swingin’ on the River, the regional contest that has been held at Hastings High School for 23 years and is the program’s largest fundraiser.

“We pride ourselves in this being what we think is one of the best competitions in the Midwest,” said Warren. “We have the facility to do it and it attracts the best groups in the Midwest every single year. We are able to showcase the best of us. This is our facility, these are our parents, our volunteers, our students and it takes everybody. I think it is a full community effort. We have parents that volunteer here that haven't had kids in show choir in 10 years. That shows how it is a true community event, and it's just such a huge point of pride.”

The contest was held on Feb. 25 and involved 18 show choirs from 10 different schools from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Of course, Papillion Nebraska takes the award for the longest drive to get here, traveling 378 miles in around six hours of driving. With schools from out of state, the contest is not only a great opportunity for entertainment for Hastings, it also brings people to our hotels, shopping and dining.

The day is a long day for both volunteers and performers alike, and that day was made even longer when a fire alarm went off in the high school. There was no fire, it was found to be a technical issue with the system that a technician was able to fix later that evening. The initial alarm did delay the event by about an hour.

The preliminary rounds were held all day and into the evening. Hastings’ Dynamic Edition performed at the end of the first session as a non-judged, exhibition performance. This performance for both Dynamic Edition and Riverside Company is something the kids look forward to each year. They get to perform on their home stage in front of a packed house of Hastings fans, but why were they not part of the contest?

“It is a show choir thing, when you host, you don't compete at your own event,” explained Warren. “You just serve as the as the host and then we get to do our exhibition shows at the end of each session for everybody. It is a different vibe and it's my one of my favorite performances of the year because it is kind of a showoff moment. It's like a thanks for coming out, we're just we're going to do a show for your quick and it is just a really cool thing for us to get to do. It is in a different kind of environment than competing every weekend like we have been. The kids are just stoked, they love this day because they just love to host, they love to show off what we do. It's fun to stand in the entryway in the morning and watch all these groups come in and go what is like what is this place? It is very neat.”

The entertainment was top notch and the top six knocked it out of the park, both figuratively and literally. Studio 2023, a group from Urbandale High School in Iowa had a Field of Dreams theme to their performance and it was amazing. They tied the theme together well with their mix of music, props and costume changes.

Truthfully, all of the finalists did a great job with their costumes probs and music.  The group that followed Studio 2023, Titanium, from Nebraska gave Studio 2023 a run for their money. Great costumes, fun choreography excellent vocals and an even better backing band, the folks around me in the auditorium thought Titanium could take home first.

Rhythm in Gold, from Bloomington Kennedy, had the final judged performance of the evening that was Moulin Rouge themed. It was another thrilling performance with solid vocals and a good story tied into the music they chose.

At end of the top six performances, Hastings Riverside Company performed as an exhibition performance to give the judges time to go over their notes and select their winners. Watching and listening to Riverside showed you the strength of Hastings choirs. The vocals were top notch and dynamic with clear, obvious harmonies and perfectly blended band and soloists volumes, It is no wonder why Riverside Company brings home so many awards.

Speaking of awards, Studio 2023 from Urbandale, IA took home the first place trophy as well as best vocals, best choreography, best band and best crew. Titanium from Papillion, NE earned second runner up, Rhythm in Gold from Bloomington Kennedy earned second runner up. The final three groups were The Ambassadors from Cedar Rapids, IA, Vocalmotive from Bemidji, and Bridge Street Singers from St. Francis.

Pull out your phones or go to the kitchen and mark your calendars now. Swingin’ on the River is held the last Saturday in February and for 2024 it will be Saturday, Feb. 24. They will need volunteers as well as fans. Visit www.hastingsshowchoirs.com for more information.