Judges in our District
Judges are the backbone of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Contest system. Each judge has gone through several years of rigorous training in judging and coaching. As such, they are incredibly knowledgeable and valuable resources! Please reach out to them for advice, coaching, or personalized instruction. Click “About BHS Contests & Judging” in the Contest menu to learn more about each judging category.
RMD Musicality Category Judges
Johnny Bugarin
Denver Mile High Chapter
Aurora, CO
Johnny has been involved in barbershop since 2011 and certified in the MUS category in 2019. He has been a chorus director and an assistant director for a couple RMD choruses. Johnny has a 5th place YBQC medal, a 4th place International Chorus medal, is a RMD Quartet Champion, and a RMD Mixed Quartet Champion. Johnny also arranges music and does learning tracks for quartets and choruses. He enjoys working with groups to discover additional musical opportunities within the group.
Tyler Wigginton
Music Category Candidate
Denver Mile High Chapter
Parker, CO
Tyler Wigginton, a Denver native, is an avid music-maker, gamer, and member of the music community in Colorado and across the globe. He graduated in 2017 from Metropolitan State University with a B.A. in Musical Composition, where he also studied voice and piano. During his time at MSU, he was invited to participate in the International Summer Academy of Music in Germany, where he placed 2nd overall in the Joseph Dorfman Composition competition in 2016. His compositions have been performed by professional musicians from around the world, including the Playground Ensemble. Tyler regularly sings Bass in the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir and other classical choral ensembles in the Denver metro area. He is also extremely active in the Barbershop Harmony Society, where he directs a mixed chorus (The Timberliners), sings in two quartets, and is a judging candidate. His prior quartets have placed as high as 13th in the world and have allowed him to travel and perform for audiences all across the U.S. When not making music Tyler loves playing tabletop RPGs, rock climbing (both indoor and outdoor), and making video games!
Performance Category Judges
Shawn Mondragon
Albuquerque Chapter
Bernalillo County Chapter
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Shawn Mondragon has been a very active member of the Rocky Mountain District since joining the Society in 1985! Shawn has been a member of the New Mexichords, a founding member of the Duke City Sound in Albuquerque, and is also currently singing with the Smorgaschorus out of Wichita Kansas, where he is one of their main coaches. He has sung Lead in three Rocky Mountain District Quartet Champions: Distinction (2000), the Summit (2007), and Blue Steele (2015). His RMD 2007 champion quartet, the Summit, was also the FINAL Buckeye International Invitational Quartet Champion in 2007. Shawn has sung twice on the International stage in two quartets, and has sung on International Chorus stage 8 times. Shawn is a certified Performance Judge in the Barbershop Harmony Society since 2016. He has served on the RMD board as a VP of Marketing, and VP of Music and Performance.
When Shawn is not coaching or judging, he can be found working at his restaurant, the Quesadilla Grille, in Old Town Albuquerque, or heard on the radio on the air during the morning drive shift as Chaz Malibu, on ABQ radio station KABG BIG 98.5 where he has been a radio personality for over 35 years!
Administrative Category Judges
Brett Foster
Yellowstone Valley Chapter
Billings, Montana
Brett came into the The Barbershop Harmony Society by pure accident – he happened to be at the wrong place at the right time! You should ask him about it sometime! That was 24 years ago and he has enjoyed every single minute of it. In fact, during some very difficult life events, it was barbershop that played a big role in pulling him through. He has spent countless hours volunteering and giving back in any way that he can. He was a member of The Big Sky Chorus and has served as President, Chapter Development VP and was named Barbershopper of the Year 5 times. He is also a founding member of one of the RMDs newest chapters, Treasure State Sound, where he serves as President and was named the 2016 Barbershopper of the Year.
He is a member of a fun-loving quartet called Checkpointe! They have competed several times in the RMD and have performed all over Montana and in 9 states over the 17 years they were together. Mostly, they love being together and making music.
He has been the CSLT VP for the Rocky Mountain District and the CARA Coordinator for more than 10 years. He has served the District as Executive Vice President, President and Immediate Past President and is currently the Vice President of Events. He has been a certified Administrative Judge for the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Contest and Judging community since 2019 . He was honored to have been named the 2017 Rocky Mountain District Barbershopper of the Year.
Bob Lawson
Bernalillo County Chapter
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Bob has been a Barbershopper since 2003 at the invitation of a friend from Lion’s Clubs. The chorus was not very good, but it was fun and introduced him to this fabulous hobby. He transferred to the Bernalillo County Chapter in 2007 and performed on the International Stage with Bernalillo County twice, in 2013 & 2015.
Outside of Barbershop, Bob shares his home in Albuquerque with his little dog Faye. He was married to Nancy for over 35-years prior to her passing.
Candidate Judges
Judge Candidates are not yet Certified Judges. However, they have been accepted into the judging program and have passed their official Candidate School. In the two years after candidate school, they serve as “practice judges” at BHS contest– at their own expense! At the end of this two year period, candidates who have successfully demonstrated they are ready to be certified are invited to Category School. Once they pass Category School, they are then a certified judge and eligible to judge contests across the Barbershop Harmony Society.