Show choirs will descend upon Ball State as 14 high schools compete in the first Mid-American Show Choir competition Saturday.
The event, which is expected to draw 5,000 people, will bring 22 choirs from Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.
There are 14 mixed show choirs, five concert choirs, three women's show choirs and 26 soloists.
The show choirs will compete in Emens Auditorium, and the concert choirs and soloists will compete in Pruis Hall.
The first round of competition will begin at 8:15 a.m. Judges will select five mixed show choirs and three soloists to compete in the evening competition. Awards will be announced at 11:30 p.m.
Each show choir will perform three dance numbers and a ballad. Soloists may choose any style of song.
The concert choirs and women's show choirs will only compete in one round.
Each group is judged separately.
"The major reason for the event is a recruiting tool," said Jodi Cotton, who organized the event. "University Singers wants to draw people in."
University Singers is Ball State's show choir.
Clayton Crosby, a University Singer member, said being in the show choir has helped him learn responsibilities and team skills.
The choir will perform a 40-minute show between the morning preliminaries and evening finalist competitions. It will also perform at 11 p.m.
"I'm excited but also nervous because it's the first (competition), and we don't know how it's going to go," Crosby said.
The event costs between $15,000 and $20,000 to put on, said Eric Miller, company manager for University Singers.
Miller said the money to pay for the event will come from ticket and program sales, and community support and donations.
Groups like the School of Music and Housing and Residence Life are sponsoring trophies, Cotton said.
More than 80 volunteers will help during the event.
The event was first planned for last year, but was canceled due to a lack of interest from schools, Cotton said.
"People are a little unsure of what we're about," Cotton said.
Cotton said she hopes the contest becomes more involved, spanning several days, with workshops offered, but more money is needed.
Each school has to pay a fee of $275 for the first choir and $200 for each additional choir.
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