A barbershopper for 37 years, Cary is a sought-after coach, arranger, presenter, and clinician. He became a Musicality judge after promising his barbershop mentor, Lou Perry, that he would continue the legacy of giving back to the Barbershop Harmony Society. Cary directs three ensembles: The Tempe Community Chorus, a 187-member all-voice chorus; The Desert Aires, a senior men’s barbershop chorus; and Wicked Pitch of the West, a women’s contemporary a cappella chorus. Cary has a passion for giving to the barbershop community. He is known for fostering a sense of belonging and inclusivity as well as his unwavering positivity in every interaction. Inspired by “Everyone in Harmony”, Cary returned to school and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Sociology.

Possible Class Options:

The Power of Play

Playing is not just for kids! Experts say that play is associated with social connection, teamwork, increasing creativity, adaptability, and facilitates learning. So, let’s play! This class will explore how to use vocal play to improve our technical and artistic singing abilities and to ready ourselves for creative music making. Come and learn how to sing in two keys at once… on purpose! We will be singing!

The Mature Voice

You are not too old to create a beautiful sound. In this class, I will share my senior chorus’s journey from not being able to sing any chord to seniors international. I’ll explain our three-step vocal program that lowered the “vocal age” of the chorus and created ringing in-tune chords. This is not a comprehensive class on the anatomy of the senior voice, but rather a class designed to give simple, achievable principles that you can use to transform your voice or ensemble.

Possible Class Options:

 -Overcoming stage fright

Meet Dr. Bari Courts—a man whose life has been dictated by four-part harmony since the literal moment he was born. In fact, he’s named “Bari” because his father was busy singing baritone in a quartet when he made a slightly early debut into the world.

With 35 years in the Barbershop Harmony Society, Bari has held nearly every title except “Silent Observer”. At the District level (JAD and CAR), he’s served as President, VP, Treasurer, DRCJ as well as being a Hall of Fame member. Within his chapters, he’s stepped up as President, Treasurer, and VP of Music. He is also a 10-year Contest Administrator, which means he’s the guy making sure the “machine” of the contest stage runs without falling out of the sky. He is currently celebrating the 70th anniversary of his home chapter, the Southern Gateway Chorus.

When he isn’t tuning chords, he’s “Dr. Courts,” an online college professor of 22 years. Despite having a PhD in Organization Management and an MBA in Management, and having taught in 20 different countries, he remains impressively monolingual: he speaks only English (and fluent Barbershop). He specializes in Management and Organizational Behavior, which basically means he’s spent two decades studying why groups of people do what they do—knowledge he puts to the ultimate test every week at chorus rehearsal.

CLASSES:

The Art of Possibility – In Barbershop Leadership!

We will look at Ben Zander’s legendary ideas relating to transforming your way of thinking. In this interactive course, barbershop leaders will explore The Art of Possibility to revitalize their chapters and musical performance. Based on the 12 practices by Benjamin Zander, this class teaches you to shift from a “scarcity” mindset—worrying about declining membership or limited resources—to an “abundance” mindset that unlocks hidden passion in every singer. This is a participative session where you can share ideas as well as learn from others.

They Made me a Chapter Leader… Now What?

You will learn to master the “art” of chapter management by organizing systems, delegating tasks, and overseeing the critical duties of chapter management team. Beyond logistics, you will explore the 10 steps of Strategic Planning to define your chapter’s purpose and visualize its future. By understanding membership composition, you will learn how to focus your energy effectively, inspire a shared vision, and empower others to “encourage the heart” of your ensemble. This is a participative session where you can share ideas as well as learn from others.

TJ Donahue served as technical director for about 30 shows at Cherry Creek High School, where he also taught technical theatre courses. He has years of experience doing similar freelance work for professional theatre companies, community theatres, and non-profect/educational programs.

In the barbershop world, he has been the scenic designer, projections designer, and all-around tech/theatre hand for Sound the Rockies for most of their shows and contests since 2011, occasionally designing print material as well. He also served the Alexandria Harmonizers in the same capacity from 2011-2014. He designed and arranged for the “World’s Largest Barber Pole” on the D&F Tower during the 2025 BHS International Convention in Denver.

Classes:

1. Projections-an inexpensive way to spice up your shows (80 min). Anyone with typical office-software skills can create visually-striking projections that can enhance the production values of a choral show at very low cost. Come to learn some techniques for creating non-distracting projections, including animations. Learn some basics about conflict between stage lighting and projections. Obtain some guidance on avoiding legal and theatrical pitfalls. Optional: bring a laptop (and an extension cord?) to try your hand at some of the techniques.

2. Pirates and Cowboys and Elves, oh my! (40 min). With examples from Sound of the Rockies, Alexandria Harmonizers, and more, learn what planning, preparation, spending, and labor is behind the scenes when the risers are credibly transformed into a theatrical set for a choral show or contest. The focus is on technical issues—not musical ones.

3. Tricks for focusing audience attention on a small portion of a huge stage (40 min). Have you ever noticed how tiny a guest quartet or VLQ appears to be on your stage? Have audience members told you that they missed an important action or gag during a show? Does your chorus seem small on stage? Explore technical and directorial tricks to resolve these issues.

4. The importance of a consistent theme in marketing and execution of a show (80 min). A polished, professional image is easier to achieve if ads, programs, pre-show slides, intermission slides, the show itself, and postings on social media remain consistent to a vision and a visual design scheme. Using the example of a Winter Holiday show, we will explore the challenge of dealing with the multitude of moving parts. Hint: If you want to implement any of these concepts, you’d better start now!

Dr. Jay Dougherty is Director of Choral Activities at Drury University, where he directs the Chorale, Singers, and Pulse A Cappella. He has served as Department Chair at both Drury and Marietta College, where he received the Innovative Teaching Award (2023) and founded the Marietta College Choral Festival and High School Honor Choir. An internationally sought-after clinician, conductor, and adjudicator, Jay has led ensembles and honor choirs across the U.S. and abroad, with invitations in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain. He is a prolific composer and arranger with more than 100 works in print, a frequent author in The Harmonizer, and is the author of a forthcoming Hal Leonard textbook on teaching barbershop harmony (2026). A certified Musicality Judge for the Barbershop Harmony Society, Jay is a district champion quartet singer, a former director of several BHS and SAI choruses, and a former as a section leader and assistant director for the medalist chorus Sound of the Rockies (BHS). He resides in Missouri with his wife of 21 years and is the proud father of five daughters.

Potential Class Options:

– Developing an Ear for Overtones

– Think Like a Musicality Judge

– Habits of a Successful Barbershop Coach

Mark Kettner is a past Category Specialist for the Performance Category, and has been a certified judge since 2010.  In addition, Mark has been the Director of the Appalachian Express Chorus (NE Tennessee Chapter) since January 2014, and has been a member of the chorus since 2002.  He has been a member of the BHS since 1988.  In addition to directing the chorus, Mark has also coached quartets and choruses throughout the US and Canada, as well as around the world.  He also serves as a faculty member for several district schools.   Mark is thankful that he has been able to teach, coach, and judge barbershop performance to singers all around the world. Mark is a resident of Johnson City, TN for the last 23 years, with his wife Rebecca and children Graysen and Jasper.  He is employed at Eastman Chemical Company as a manager for chemical engineers and scientists.

Class:

Join Mark Kettner from the Performance Category as he leads a fun game of Performance Charades!  Discover how important body language is in communication.  It might involve a bit of competition and your best acting skills, with some twists along the way.

Randy is a 40+ year, second-generation barbershopper. His mother was a Sweet
Adeline, and he first started singing in a high school barbershop chorus in LOL District.
He’s served as a section leader and assistant director for multiple BHS choruses, and
as the musical director of the Diablo Vista chorus of Sweet Adelines. He earned a 3 rd
place bronze medal with Voices In Harmony. He's also sung in four division champion
quartets in the Far Western District, placing as high as fourth in the FWD Quartet
Contest.
Randy has also held almost every chapter administrative office except treasurer, and
has served on the FWD Board of Directors. He’s been a certified Administrative Judge
since 2007, and is currently serving on the ADM Category Board of Review.
Professionally, he’s retired from a 35+ year career in executive management in the high-
tech industry. His last role was as SVP & GM at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he
was responsible for the $6B large-scale computer business worldwide, including R&D,
sales, support, and services.
He lives in San Jose, CA, with wife Diane (also a Sweet Adeline).

Possible Classs Options:

Being a Great Section Leader / Assistant Director

So, your musical director has asked you to be a section leader or assistant director? What now?? What’s expected of me? And how do I look like I’m totally up to this (even if you don’t feel like you are!)?

We’ll cover what the typical roles are, what’s generally expected from those musical leaders, and some preparation, rehearsal techniques, and basic conducting skills that can help you help your ensemble to be better.

Building a Strategic Plan For Your Chapter

What will your chapter look like in the years ahead? What are some models and methods you can use to identify strengths and weaknesses, and how to determine the direction you want to take?

We’ll cover assessing where you currently are, identifying opportunities for future directions, and building an underlying plan that will help you get there, along with looking at key measurements that can help you track progress. We’ll also look at the potential roadblocks to getting to the “future chapter” you want to be.

Out of our own Rocky Mountain District, it’s Shawn Mondragon.

Shawn is a sought after Performance Judge since becoming official in 2013, working with quartets, and choruses, all over the country. He has been on staff as a teacher at BHS Harmony University, Harmony University Northwest, as well as other district Mini HEP schools, and most recently at the Johnny Appleseed “Top Gun” School. He teaches his classes at the BHS International Summer contests in July, as well as Midwinter contests in January. Shawn was also in the Pit, as a Performance Judge, for the very first BHS competition that allowed women, as well as mixed groups, to compete on the International stage in Charlette, NC in 2022!

He is a three time Rocky Mountain District Quartet Champion, and recently, earned a 4th place bronze medal at the 2024 International Seniors Quartet Championship with his RMD quartet, “Sophisticated Gentlemen”. He is currently serving on the RMD board as a VP of Marketing, and was a previous VP of Music and Performance.

Possible Class Options:

*The INs and Outs and In-Betweens of a Great Performance – A class on the little things that are never talked about, or generally taught, to give the performer an edge as they prepare for a contest, as well as ideas to make their performance on stage EVEN BETTER!

*So You Want to be an MC? (Are you sure?) – Giving you insight on how to conduct yourself while being the spokesperson for the quartet, or keeping the audience engaged during a contest or show.

Stuart is a vocal and performance coach based in the Netherlands. He is a professional chorus & choir director, a coach for choruses and quartets, singing teacher and a quartet singer with numerous national and European medals and championships. Stuart is also a regular faculty member at Harmony Colleges, Directors’ Colleges, Quartet Schools across Europe and Harmony University (inc. Virtual). Stuart certified as a BHS Singing Judge in 2023. In addition, Stuart is a member of the Holland Harmony Education Team, organizing European events such as Colleges, Directors’ weekends and the annual European Quartet School.

Having found barbershop in 1977, Stuart started quartet singing immediately, became a director of his local chorus in 1984 (at age 15) and hasn’t stopped since!  His (small) claim to fame is having won (National) quartet gold medals in each voice part! Stuart has now ‘settled’, having found bass again.

Stuart has had a varied vocal life since he first started singing in church choirs when he was 6. In 1977 (when he was 8) he started in barbershop but he has since then also sung in mixed voice a cappella groups and classical choirs but most notably he has sung in four UK National Champion barbershop quartets in 1993, 1994, 2004 & 2005 (bass, baritone, lead and baritone) going on to represent the UK in the International Championships each time and since moving to Holland has sung in 4 Dutch Champion Quartets in 2008 (Xperience, baritone), 2011 (Trademark, baritone) and 2015 (Maelstrom (male), tenor and Trance Mission (Mixed), Bass. Stuart’s current two quartets are ‘Orpheus’, started in October 2025 and features Sonny vande Putte on lead, Fabian Strotmann on baritone and Tine Tuchel on tenor, and ‘ChordArt’ started earlier in 2025 with Bart on baritone, Jaap on lead and Alwin on Tenor.

His directing career began in 1984 with a barbershop chorus. Since then he has directed ladies, men’s and mixed barbershop choruses as well as Gospel and pop choirs. He has had National and European success with his choruses through the years most notably with his current chorus, No Borders Show Chorus (SAI Region 31) having represented the region at the SAI Harmony Classic competition in 2018 and in 2022. His current mixed chorus, Mixed Nuts, started only in 2022, won the Holland Harmony chorus competition in 2023 with 84,3% after just 7 rehearsals and then competed at the BHS International Convention in Cleveland 2024 representing Holland Harmony.

Stuart lives in Hellevoetsluis with his wife, Natascha, and their two Irish Setters, Yoda and Jyn!

Potential Class Options:

1. Your Voice is Perfect for You – a look at how we can best utilise the voice we’ve been gifted and a look at best practice techniques.

1. Improve Chorus Unity through the Quartet Experience – how can we best support, educate and strengthen the singers we have to further develop our chorus unity and what quarteting tools do we have at our disposal whilst also keeping it a pleasurable experience for our non-quartet singers.

Sandi Wright is a member of Sweet Adelines International, Harmony Incorporated, and the Barbershop Harmony Society.  She currently directs the St. Louis Vocal Project, the current third place international medalist in Harmony Incorporated.  As a baritone singer she has has earned two international quartet gold medals (with the Tetrachords and Ambiance), six regional quartet championships in Sweet Adelines and two silvers and one bronze medal in Harmony, Incorporated international competitions. 

Sandi is the only person in the world certified as a competition judge in every North American barbershop organization.  She is certified in the Visual Communication Category with Sweet Adelines International and the Performance Category in Harmony Incorporated and Barbershop Harmony Society. She is the category specialist for Harmony Incorporated’s Performance Category.  She is a certified international faculty member of Sweet Adelines International and is a busy and sought-after coach.

In 2018, Sandi stepped out of her comfort zone and was named Ms. Missouri Senior, and she represented Missouri that year in the Ms. Senior America Pageant in Atlantic City

Potential Class Options:

– Making an Exciting First Impression

– Quartet Fixes When There’s No Coach in Sight

– Conguering the Aging Voice