By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
Mayville Cardinal Singers show choir director Todd Krueger admits there’s a certain amount of pride on the line when he and his choir come to Burlington.
All you have to do is look at the Chocolate City Showcase winners’ list – hint, it’s all Mayville – to know why the Cardinal Singers like Burlington.
“Winning five in a row is a great honor and, yes, we hope to win another,” Krueger said in an email Tuesday. “I personally don’t think about the ‘only winner,’ but I have a few students who do.
“No one wants to be the class that didn’t make it,” he added.
Mayville will be going for No. 6 Saturday at the annual Burlington High School showcase – the main fundraiser for BHS’s show choir, B*Jazzled. Nineteen choirs are coming from across Wisconsin and Illinois, with competition starting at 8 a.m. and lasting until at least 9:30 p.m.
Mayville has been the class of the competition each of the previous five years, with a resume of shows that range from the Wizard of Oz to Big Band to war protest music.
This year – Krueger’s last, as he is retiring in June – he’s going with a parody theme of all familiar songs with words changed up.
“At the end, we finally get our show right and perform a swing tune dedicated to Tom Terrien,” Krueger said. Terrien was the choreographer for Kids From Wisconsin in the past, and also for many Mayville productions.
Mayville could be challenged this year by any number of schools at the event. The Eisenhower Express out of Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Ill. – runners-up last year – will return, as will Madison East and two schools back after a one-year hiatus, De Pere and New London.
Mundelein High School out of Illinois also joins the possible contenders this year, bringing three different choirs – its all-male, all-female and co-ed show choirs.
“It’s awesome,” said Penny Yanke, director of BHS B*Jazzled, the host choir. “We have more groups this year than ever before, which is exciting.”
She wouldn’t speculate on any possible winners, though.
“I haven’t seen any of the shows this year,” Yanke said. “So I’m not going to predict anything.
“Of course, you’ll have people on both sides of the spectrum,” said Yanke, who wouldn’t venture to guess whether people would be cheering for a Mayville six-peat.
B*Jazzled, meanwhile, will perform an exhibition show at about 4:55 p.m. Saturday. This year, the show’s theme is “Boogie Down with B*Jazzled,” featuring several 70s hits – including “YMCA” and “Knock on Wood.”
“It’s an exciting, fun show,” Yanke said. “Songs a lot of people will recognize.
“It’s very entertaining,” she added.
The day tends to be a celebration of music and the music community. While the BHS students look forward to performing at the showcase (it’ll be the premiere performance of this year’s show), they enjoy getting to host the other groups as well.
Some students get to stay with the same group throughout their time with B*Jazzled, which leads to a special bond between performers.
Ivy Finucane, a senior, has been with Brodhead for the last three years.
“It’s going to be my last year with my friends in that choir,” she said. “It’s going to be bittersweet.”
There will be some sadness, though, as students prepare for their final experience.
“I will say it is a bummer not to perform with all the people anymore,” said Jake Burton, a senior who’s been involved all four years. “I have to go on and expand my horizons.”
Added Finucane, “It’s a lot of up-tempo songs we just, literally, get to jam out to.”
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