In show design, Music City’s goal is two-fold — establish a theme that can be easily understood, and create a program that means something on a deeper level.
Early returns suggest the corps’ 2026 production is well suited to accomplish that checklist.
Music City announced the title of its 2026 program, “Venomorphosis” at the end of November. Essentially, as can be inferred from the play on words (venom + metamorphosis) in the show’s title, it plays on the idea of constant change — there’s your deeper meaning — using the imagery of a snake’s ever-evolving life cycle — and there’s your tangible theme.
“The hook is simple,” program coordinator Shane Gwaltney said. “We present who we are, we get bit by change, and then we evolve across the nine minutes of the show. We have trials. We shed what no longer serves us, and we emerge renewed.”
“My hope is that the audience gets both,” he added, “something literal they can grab onto, and the emotional transformation that happens underneath it.”
According to Gwaltney, the corps’ transformation unfolds across its full production, using visual and musical elements to make that evolution something performers and audience members alike can grasp onto.
Visually-speaking, “Venomorphosis” will lean into snake imagery as a metaphor for change, incorporating themes of venom, molting, and shedding what no longer serves a purpose. That idea will be augmented visually through evolving uniforms, equipment, and props that change throughout the show.
“We want to create this cool, iridescent, colorful feel on our base uniform, and then have something on top of it that we reveal toward the end of the show,” Gwaltney said. “By the end, we’re able to kind of molt, or reveal our full, colorful under-skin.”
As far as the music side of the equation is concerned, “Venomorphosis” will be driven primarily by original compositions by staff designers, continuing Music City’s recent emphasis on a unified, in-house design approach.
Alongside the original material, though, the corps will incorporate other recognizable selections, such as the music of English rock band Sleep Token — which helps establish the show’s darker, more aggressive tone — as well as “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, which Gwaltney said will serve as an “anchor” to the program.
The corps’ final musical moment, featuring the popular Gotye track — a song that gained significant popularity in the early 2010s, and earned the title of best-selling song in 2012 — reinforces the theme of leaving a former self behind.
“That tune really works for the closer, with the idea of turning our back on ourselves and moving on,” Gwaltney said. “By the end, ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ is left behind us. It really fits the idea of shedding who you were.”
Competitively-speaking, Music City has been on a steady climb in recent seasons, especially since their return after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nashville corps earned 21st and 23rd respectively in its first two seasons as a World Class corps — 2018 and 2019 — but has placed 17th or better every year at the DCI World Championships since 2022.
Music City took a step up to 16th place with a final score of 83.838 in 2025, both of which were all-time bests for the corps.
Those recent competitive successes, along with a staff that features a majority of returning faces on the corps’ educational team — have those in Music City’s camp excited about what’s to come in 2026.
“If you look at the trajectory of the corps over the past three or four years, it’s really only gone up,” corps director Chaz Bledsoe said. “We’ve seen a pretty large increase in audition numbers, and I think a lot of that has to do with the kinds of shows we’ve been doing and people wanting to come be a part of Music City.”
While much of Music City’s team will be the same as last season, Gwaltney and Bledsoe did note new faces in the corps’ brass caption, including arranger Michael J. Miller. Both expressed excitement for the latest steps taken in the area of brass, and for the overall continuity of the team in place.
“Consistency is key,” Gwaltney said. “We feel like we’re getting all the right pieces of the puzzle in place, and it just feels like we’re moving forward.
Their hope, as well — with auditions in full-swing — was to use an early show reveal to capitalize on an overall sense of positivity, and help carry it over into a new season.
“If you can release (the show concept) early and you’re confident in it, I think you need to,” Gwaltney said. “Having a strong direction from the get-go has only benefited us — confidence with the staff, confidence with the members, and a clear path forward from day one.”
Music City’s 2026 tour will feature 18 stops, starting with a July 7 “home show” appearance in Sevierville, Tennessee.
