Bemidji Show Choirs Gear Up for Annual Season-Ending Performances

Vocalmotive and La Voce Ballo took the Bemidji High School Auditorium stage one last time this season on March 13 and 14, closing out a year of competition with the annual fundraiser show that doubled, for graduating seniors, as their final high school performance ever.

The two-night event, held each night at 7 p.m., brought together all levels of the Bemidji show-choir program: the middle school group, the junior varsity squad, and both varsity ensembles. Each team performed the single competition piece it had carried through the season, making the weekend the last time those themes appeared on stage this year. Proceeds from the fundraiser go toward costumes and transportation for the program's competition travel.

Both varsity groups arrived at the final show fresh off competitive success. Vocalmotive and La Voce Ballo had finished their competitive seasons and earned major awards the previous weekend before the performances.

The two varsity shows offered distinct themes. Vocalmotive built its competition piece around "New Year's Day," a concept senior dance captain Fanella Sommerville described as both inward-looking and community-driven. "It's about changing ourselves for the New Year's and our goals for what's to come," Sommerville said. "My favorite part has been the connections we've made on the team. I've never been so close to a team in my life, and it's been really nice to just have that family."

La Voce Ballo took a different angle with "Braving the Wilderness." Senior Anika Ohnstad explained the show's purpose plainly: "It's focused on empowering women and thanking the women that came before us and being that woman for the generation next."

For the graduating seniors in both groups, the weight of the weekend was hard to miss. Vocalmotive senior band captain Holden Stennes said the finality caught him off guard. "I did not think I would be this sad about it," Stennes said. "There's been so many emotions throughout this season, and it's just, I have no words for it." Ohnstad echoed that mixture of pride and melancholy: "It's like a bittersweet moment. I really love show choir and it's a super big part of my life. So, I'm going to be sad that it's over but I'm also excited to start my next chapter."

Featured guests Greg Byers and Theo Brown with The String Showdown joined the program as this year's special performers. For the seniors who shared the auditorium stage with them, it marked the close of their last chapter in high school show choir.