Music

Memorial’s Annual Show Choir Contest Approaches

Kinzy Janssen |

The 17th Annual Winterfest Show Choir Competition will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7. Come and appreciate feats of the facial muscles and diaphragm (seriously, venture a toothy smile while belting out a high note — it’s tricky). Come and admire perfectly aligned elbows. Come and absorb the glorious superfluity of sequins in the Memorial High School auditorium. Judges will critique 25 singing-and-dancing groups from as far away as Bemidji, MN, on the sharpness of their moves, overall tone of their singing, and by how hard their back-up band rocks. Tickets for the preliminary round, which starts at 7:25 am, are $8. Likewise, pay $8 for access to the finals round, which starts at 7:30 pm and features six of the top choirs, plus an exhibition performance by Old Abe Show Choir, for whom Jane Schutt is new director. For an entire day’s worth of high-energy choreography and four-part harmony, pay $12.