Madison's VIBE Moves Forward to FAME National Final

From Daniel Hand VIBE:

Will Madison be the next National Show Choir Champion? That's the question on the lips of everyone who witnessed Daniel Hand High School's "VIBE" win Grand Champion at the FAME National Show Choir Championship Series event in Orlando, Florida on March 19th. With an undefeated 2016 season, VIBE has swept every competition they have participated in this year. A sweep occurs when a show choir wins Grand Champion as well as the categories of Best Vocals and Best Choreography at the same competition. VIBE is directed by Daniel Hand's choral director Ron Soja, who arranges the majority of the songs and conceptualizes the show. This year VIBE's theme is the story of "Exodus."

In Orlando, VIBE once again monopolized the awards, winning Grand Champion, Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Male Soloist (Cooper Ewald), Best Combo (Band), and Best Show Design. Previous competition results have included Best Female Soloist (Nina Stathakis) at three competitions and Best Male Soloist (Sam Kramer and Cooper Ewald).

There are thousands of high school show choirs that compete every season, and the top 50 show choirs in the country earn a place in the National Show Choir rankings. As of March 19, 2016, VIBE is ranked as the number two high school show choir in the nation. New rankings are posted weekly on www.nationalshowchoirrankings.com. Madison's highest final ranking to date was in 2011, when VIBE ended the season at number 18.

Whether or not Madison's VIBE finishes this season as the National Grand Champion will depend on their showing at the FAME National Finals on April 29th and 30th in Chicago. This is the first time ever that Madison's VIBE has been undefeated in their season, and the first time they are entering the National Finals round already ranked in the top three choirs in the USA.

VIBE's success this season is bringing national attention to Madison within the competitive show choir community. This year, Madison had the privilege to host the first Connecticut Classic Show Choir Festival, which brought more than 2,000 visitors to the town on March 5th. Nineteen show choirs from all over the country - including two groups from California - spent the day competing at Daniel Hand High School. The success of the competition, and the exhibition performance by VIBE, trended across multiple social media platforms.

VIBE Supporters, the 501c3 tax-exempt organization that provides funding for VIBE, is working to raise the funds needed to take the cast, band and crew of 75 Daniel Hand students to the National Finals in Chicago. Madison students will be competing against the most famous and well-funded high school show choirs in the nation. VIBE's budget, which is entirely funded through volunteer efforts, is a fraction of the budget of many of their competitors.

"These past few competition seasons have shown tremendous growth of this group," said VIBE Supporters president Michele Daniels. "VIBE has risen to the level of achievement of some of the oldest and most well-funded show choirs in the country. We are extremely proud of what these students and VIBE's director Mr. Soja are accomplishing. This year's show is of the highest quality and could very well have what it takes to bring them home the National FAME Championship. A win at FAME would solidify VIBE and Ron Soja’s position as a force within the show choir community. We are all trememdously excited for this opportunity and are looking forward to bringing their show to Chicago."

VIBE Supporters welcomes community donations to support VIBE's participation in FAME National Finals in Chicago. Tax-deductible donations can be made online at www.dhhsvibe.com. Checks made out to VIBE Supporters can be sent to: VIBE Supporters c/o Susan Reel,Treasurer, 43 Kachina Way, Madison CT 06443.