Garrett Breeze, arranger, clinician and adjudicator, shares his thoughts after his experience at HOA Nashville.
by Garrett Breeze
No two Heart of America competitions are ever alike. Of course, every show choir competition is unique, in a way. But there is something special that happens when groups from across the country (who would never otherwise meet) come together. And that feeling is only amplified when it’s transported to a larger-than-life location like the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN.
I’ve been lucky enough to judge five HOA events so far in my career and each one has had its own unique character or personality. Sometimes they’re more intense, sometimes they’re dramatic – they’re always high energy. But HOA Nashville 2025 was just plain fun. Participating groups ranged from brand-new show choirs competing for the very first time to seasoned groups with storied traditions. You had story shows, theme shows, musical theater, vocal jazz, concert choir and just about everything else you could think of. It really was a good microcosm of what show choir is (or can be) in 2025.
People often talk about judging as if it were picking between apples and oranges. If that’s the case, HOA Nashville provided the whole produce section! And you could tell that the audience came hungry. The support and the respect coming from the audience after each performance was palpable. Everyone was there to compete, yes, but you could tell that they were enjoying the show, and as a result, every group had a friendly audience.
By the way, being able to “people watch” in the audience is one of my favorite things about being a judge. I get to sit up in this gigantic tower and have a bird’s-eye view of the crowd reacting to everything. And it’s a good reminder to me that at the end of the day, it’s not about the scores on the page, it’s about the impact on the people.
Speaking of the end of the day, I often wish students and directors could hear the conversations that happen late into the night as the judges hang out after an event is over. Sure, we don’t always agree (show choir judges tend to be an opinionated bunch, after all) but everyone on that panel is there because they genuinely love show choir and they are passionate about helping students succeed. The same goes for the HOA staff behind the scenes – they truly care about making the event the best that it can be.
For me, HOA Nashville was the perfect way to end my season, and I hope more groups take the opportunity to check it out. See you in Nashville!
Garrett Breeze is a composer, arranger and orchestrator whose credits include film, television, video games, Broadway stars, major classical artists and many of the top school music programs in the U.S. He has just been named the new American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Repertoire and Resources Chair for Show Choirs.