Stow Students in Award-Winning Musical Group

Nick Campagna has good reason to boast.

The choir director for Stow-Munroe Falls High School also leads the ETC School Musical Arts Show Choir, a 50-plus student performance group comprised mostly of Stow students and based out of the Akron school.

This year, the group managed to do something it's never done before in its 35-year history: win three grand championship awards.

"Which is a record for ETC in one season," Campagna said.

The group is comprised of about 44 singer/dancers, close to a dozen instrumental musicians and about half a dozen crew members. About 21 students, nearly half the group, attend Stow High School.

The ETC show group took first place, or won grand champion, at three competitions this year that included: "Reach for the Stars" at Central Crossing High School; the "Cuyahoga Classic" at Cuyahoga Falls High School; and "Voices in the Grove" at Grove City High School.

Here's how the competitions work. Each group has 25 minutes to use the stage, and that includes costume changes, moving in their sets and other prep work.

The choir sings and dances and is accompanied live by a full instrumental ensemble that inlcudes brass, woodwind, guitars and percussion instruments.

"This season it’s been kind of a transitional year with me being the new director there," Campagna said.

The competitions were held January through early March. But with a new director the students started rehearsing last summer to put together the vocals, choreography and musical accompaniment.

All of the ETC ensembles will perform their spring show on May 5 at Cuyahoga Falls High School.

"The competition season is over right now," Campagna said. "We’re actually starting to prep for next season already."