Media release from Rome, GA City Schools:
While it takes about 20 minutes for the audience to find out “Whodunit” in Grand Finale’s 2025 show, the group itself had to wait longer than that to get amazing news on Saturday at the Diamond Classic Show Choir Competition in Albertville, Alabama.
When it was all said and done, Grand Finale, Rome High School’s Show Choir, swept the Mixed Division Tier 3 category earning Best Overall Effect, Best Choreography, and Best Vocals en route to finishing in first place topping six other schools for the division trophy.
“Winning at Albertville brings a huge boost of confidence for Grand Finale. We have always performed well at Albertville, but in year’s past, the result has not been to our liking,” Grand Finale Director Dr. Cody Goss said. “This is our eighth season, so winning there feels like a weight has been lifted from the group. The students believe if they can win in Albertville, they can win anywhere.”
Grand Finale has typically been in the running in the competition but finished just outside of the top three spots until Saturday. This year’s show won the judges over as the group brings the classic board game Clue to life for the audience.
Goss said he couldn’t be prouder of the group which has been hard at work since the summer preparing for the competition season.
“This is my third year with Grand Finale, and this has been the most cohesive group that I’ve directed. They have a love and appreciation for one another, and they work together as a team,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of how they have handled themselves this year in both their work ethic and attitude.”
The group now gets a chance to see the judges’ comments and tweak the show if they need to before the next competition. The group also gets ready to play host to the first show choir competition held at Rome High School on Saturday, Feb. 22.
“We received a lot of feedback from the judges, and we will continue to work to refine the production. We also realize that every show choir is working to get better, so we have to do the same if we want to remain competitive. Our next performance will be at the competition we are hosting at Rome High,” Goss said.
Rome will compete as exhibition only at the Three Rivers Show Choir Invitational at the school. Grand Illusion, Rome Middle School’s show choir which placed second in its division at the Diamond Classic, will also perform.
“We then will finish the year with competitions at Nashville and Tifton before our closeout show at the city auditorium on March 13. This show has been so well received that we have a lot of parents that would like to see us compete somewhere else later in the season,” Goss said. “But we need community partners to come alongside and help us financially because road trips are very expensive. We are always looking for support if any of our Rome businesses or organizations want to sponsor Grand Finale.”
