Show Choir to Compete for National Championship

Bonita Vista High School’s Sound Unlimited women’s show choir has earned a trip to the national finals following a dazzling performance and a first-runner up award at the FAME regionals in Orlando. Sound Unlimited is the first San Diego County women’s group ever to qualify for the FAME national championship competition. Members of the group are fund raising to send its 54-member ensemble to Chicago for the April 26-27 showdown with America’s 10 best song and dance troupes.

“We are very, very excited to qualify for the national finals,” said Roxanne Ronacher, the group’s director. “The competition in Orlando was amazing and it is a real tribute to our Bonita Vista girls that they were selected. We are looking forward to going to Chicago to represent our community, pending district approval of the trip.”

Sound Unlimited includes 39 singer-dancers, six technicians and six student musicians, and is one of America’s most diverse show choirs. It was founded in 1978 by former BVH music teacher Ron Bolles, who also founded the Music Machine, the school’s much-celebrated mixed choir. In 1991, under the direction of Gary Withem, Sound Unlimited made the change to a show choir format.

This year’s award-winning performance set features a French theme that celebrates the music and magic of Paris. Sound Unlimited’s finale, a rousing version of the high-kicking Jacques Offenbach classic, “The Can-Can,” has received standing ovations on both sides of the continent.

FAME is America’s top-tier show choir competition and hosts regional championships in Hollywood, Orlando, New York, Chicago and Branson, Missouri. First place and first runners-up from each regional are invited to the finals, which this year will be at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago. Last year’s women’s national champion and first runner up were Southern California high schools from Los Alamitos and Brea Olinda, choirs the Sound Unlimited has competed well against this year.

Ronacher said the students and their families are working hard to raise funds to cover travel expenses. Due to tight budgets, the group will not receive travel funds from the high school district.

“To compete at the national level we need everyone in our group to be there and be at their peak,” she said. “This is such a great learning experience for our students. We want to do everything possible to make sure everyone can go.”

To make a contribution to the Sound Unlimited travel fund send a check to: BVHS Sound Unlimited Boosters, Inc., c/o Bonita Vista High School, 751 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91913. To use a credit card contact Linda Berke, fund raising vice president, at berkelinda@yahoo.com or (619) 954-4810. All donations are tax deductible.