After performing to a sold-out auditorium for the final home show on Tuesday March 21^st, Hastings High School Riverside Company took their show “Home on the Range” on the road to Nashville, Tennessee to compete in Show Choir Nationals held at the Grand Ole Opry House. Riverside Company is made up of 80 singer/dancers, instrumentalists, and stage crew. The group earned three grand champion titles, a first runner up, four Best Vocals awards, three Best Choreography awards, and three Best Band awards during the season before heading to Show Choir Nationals to compete against schools from across the country.

The competition was held on the Grand Ole Opry stage with an audience of over 4000, including many Hastings families and alumni traveling from across the country. The preliminary round of competition was held Friday March 24^th and consisted of 11 of the best groups from across the country. The top six scoring groups moved on to compete again on Saturday, March 25^th in finals. The finalists represented six states, Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Minnesota. Riverside Company was the only school representing Minnesota in the competition.

The elevated competition from groups across the country motivated Riverside Company to their two best shows of the year, earning them fourth place out of the top six finalists performing at Show Choir Nationals. In addition to their fourth-place finish, Nathan Barker was awarded “Outstanding Male Performer” (chosen from the 11 performances in the preliminary round), and the Riverside Company stage crew was awarded “Best Crew”. The stage crew is a group of students who assist the performers behind the scenes with costumes, props, and equipment.

The 2023 show included a repertoire of Home on the Range/Night is Ours/Kick a Little, The Dinner Time Medley, Sleep, Oh, What a Beautiful Morning, and High Class/Dancin’ on the Ceiling. Soloists included Emma McLay, Scott Thorkildson, Nina Birt, Gillian Greeder, Serenity Swanson, and Brady Teegarden. Riverside Company is under the direction of Luke Warren and assisted by Jen Fox. Providing the instrumental accompaniment is a 14-member backup band (BUB) directed by Jake Bohlken. The show is Choreographed by Ellie Jordan with music arrangements written by Luke Warren.

Riverside Company would like to thank their families, friends, and the Hastings community for their continued support and encouragement. This trip was made possible through the support of Hastings High School Administration, the Hastings Show Choir Boosters, and Swingin’ on the River fundraising efforts.