2025 Judges
MUSICALITY CATEGORY
An accomplished composer, arranger and choral director Alex Morris is in demand around the world as a vocal coach with regular appearance on faculty at Harmony University and is also a certified as a Musicality Judge with the Barbershop Harmony Society. Alex is the former Music Director of Vocal Evolution, leading them to three Barbershop Harmony Australia gold medals. In 2022 Alex was inducted into the Barbershop Harmony Australia Hall of Fame. He has a passion for education and loves nothing more than to share the joy of music.
Ian Mulholland has been a BHA member for 37 years and has arranged over fifty barbershop songs. He is a four-time BHA national quartet gold medallist, six-time chorus gold medallist, and has won numerous silver and bronze medals at the national level. Ian is also a Pan Pac quartet and chorus gold medallist and has represented BHA at the International Contest many times. He helped form the Australasian Guild of Barbershop Judges (AGBJ) and has been a qualified AGBJ Musicality Judge for 20 years. He served as BHA President for four years and was made a BHA Life Member and Hall of Fame Legend in 2009. Ian was the compiler and editor of the Great Australian Barbershop Songbook (2004). He has been involved in music all his life, having performed professionally in music theatre and with several well known bands in Sydney and Perth, in addition to his barbershop activities.
David Brooks has been a familiar face at BHA events since 1994, and this is the eighth national convention at which he has judged Musicality. He say it has been a great privilege to witness Australian barbershop’s development and personalities from the best seat in the house. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, David is active as a director, coach, and arranger. He has directed Wellington City Chorus of Sweet Adelines since its inception, taking them to national titles and a win overseas at the Sweet Adelines Harmony Classic. Active in youth barbershop since 1999, David currently runs programmes in four secondary schools. His youth groups have won national and international contests and many of today’s prominent New Zealand barbershop singers came into the style via David’s work in schools. David comes from a classical background - in his youth he won the Auckland Piano Concerto contest and was a foundation member of the National Youth Choir.
Will Lynch has been singing barbershop since 2015, and is based in Ĺtautahi (Christchurch), Aotearoa (New Zealand), where he is a proud member of the Harmony Waitaha chapter. He currently sings with the quartet Promenade, recent recipients of the international 3rd place bronze medal at this year's international Next Gen Varsity quartet competition in Denver. He also currently serves as co-director for Quantum Acoustics, a youth-focused ensemble for all voices who are the current BHNZ silver medalists. He's also an experienced arranger who has written for groups across Australia, New Zealand and North America. When he's not singing barbershop, Will is a full-time music student and part-time music teacher!
PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
Michael (Mike) Kelly is a respected performance coach from Seattle, Washington and has been judging Barbershop Performance since 2012. He has judged Barbershop performances all over the world including at the BHS International convention. He sings with his 3 biological brothers in the top 20 quartet: The Kelly Brothers. In 2007, he helped found and lead the first BHS youth chorus, Northwest Vocal Project and sang with Westminster to gold in 2019.
Michael studied acting and performance at Brigham Young University and has toured with the Seattle Opera. He performs and coaches in local theater and is a lifetime student of theatrical expression. He believes there is no one way to create a truly meaningful performance, but that we are all on a journey to learn how to communicate with each other in meaningful ways.
Trent Taylor is an Australasian Performance Judge celebrated for his dynamic blend of musical theatre flair and educational expertise. With a degree in Musical Theatre and a Master of Teaching and Learning, Trent brings over a decade of barbershop experience to his work. He is a seven-time national chorus champion and a national mixed quartet champion. As a passionate coach, Trent is dedicated to helping performers build authentic connections with their audiences. A lifelong tag enthusiast, he is driven by a deep belief in personal growth—both on stage and in life
Charlotte Murray has been a registered BHS Performance Judge since 2019. She co-founded Vocal FX Chorus in 2003. Under her directorship the chorus has travelled to International and has placed in the top 10 on numerous occasions. Charlotte is a High School Music Educator from Wellington, New Zealand and she loves working with her 2 school choruses and her quartets on a weekly basis. Her past students include International 2014 Champions, Musical Island Boys. Charlotte has served as a Performance Coach and Teacher at Harmony University as well as barbershop education events in Germany, Holland, Australia and New Zealand.
SINGING CATEGORY
Dr. Jay Butterfield has been active in the Barbershop Harmony Society since joining the Vocal Majority as a teen. His service includes teaching in many districts -U.S. and Canada- as well as numerous schools in Germany, Nederland, Ireland, Sweden, Ireland and the UK. It has been his honor to found, compete, coach and medal as the Musical Director of Parkside Harmony Jay has also been on the international quartet stage several times, including a top 20 semifinal appearance.
Most recently Jay shared the stage with the Vocal Majority in their 14th gold medal appearance. Jay also coached six different ensembles who appeared on the international stage in Denver.
Jay holds two degrees (B.A. and M.A.) in Music Performance, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. He was the 1996 recipient of the MENC/BHS award for service and music education, and a school Grammy Award recipient, from NARAS. He is one of only a few in BHS holding Master Director certification.
Jay Butterfield currently serves on the C&J Board of Review for Singing, and is an active voice teacher, coach, judge, and consultant in choral music and leadership design. Jay and his wife Anne, currently reside together in Lancaster, PA and the Charleston, South Carolina area.
Henrietta Hunkin-Tagaloa is a dynamic choral leader, vocal coach, and international performer based in Wellington, New Zealand. She is the founder and Co-Director of Pacific Connection, a 74-voice choir known for blending barbershop, Pacific choral traditions, and contemporary a cappella. Pacific Connection recently made history as the first NZ chorus to win a medal at the 2025 Barbershop Harmony Society International Contest, placing 3rd. She has also represented NZ in the International Sweet Adelines contest since 2005 in both quartets and choruses. Henrietta is passionate about bringing personal and cultural truth to the voice, and is widely respected for her ability to coach singers to connect deeply with their sound, story, and audience. She brings over two decades of experience in community and leadership, and currently serves as the President of Barbershop Harmony New Zealand.
MUSICALITY CATEGORY
An accomplished composer, arranger and choral director Alex Morris is in demand around the world as a vocal coach with regular appearance on faculty at Harmony University and is also a certified as a Musicality Judge with the Barbershop Harmony Society. Alex is the former Music Director of Vocal Evolution, leading them to three Barbershop Harmony Australia gold medals. In 2022 Alex was inducted into the Barbershop Harmony Australia Hall of Fame. He has a passion for education and loves nothing more than to share the joy of music.
Ian Mulholland has been a BHA member for 37 years and has arranged over fifty barbershop songs. He is a four-time BHA national quartet gold medallist, six-time chorus gold medallist, and has won numerous silver and bronze medals at the national level. Ian is also a Pan Pac quartet and chorus gold medallist and has represented BHA at the International Contest many times. He helped form the Australasian Guild of Barbershop Judges (AGBJ) and has been a qualified AGBJ Musicality Judge for 20 years. He served as BHA President for four years and was made a BHA Life Member and Hall of Fame Legend in 2009. Ian was the compiler and editor of the Great Australian Barbershop Songbook (2004). He has been involved in music all his life, having performed professionally in music theatre and with several well known bands in Sydney and Perth, in addition to his barbershop activities.
David Brooks has been a familiar face at BHA events since 1994, and this is the eighth national convention at which he has judged Musicality. He say it has been a great privilege to witness Australian barbershop’s development and personalities from the best seat in the house. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, David is active as a director, coach, and arranger. He has directed Wellington City Chorus of Sweet Adelines since its inception, taking them to national titles and a win overseas at the Sweet Adelines Harmony Classic. Active in youth barbershop since 1999, David currently runs programmes in four secondary schools. His youth groups have won national and international contests and many of today’s prominent New Zealand barbershop singers came into the style via David’s work in schools. David comes from a classical background - in his youth he won the Auckland Piano Concerto contest and was a foundation member of the National Youth Choir.
Will Lynch has been singing barbershop since 2015, and is based in Ĺtautahi (Christchurch), Aotearoa (New Zealand), where he is a proud member of the Harmony Waitaha chapter. He currently sings with the quartet Promenade, recent recipients of the international 3rd place bronze medal at this year's international Next Gen Varsity quartet competition in Denver. He also currently serves as co-director for Quantum Acoustics, a youth-focused ensemble for all voices who are the current BHNZ silver medalists. He's also an experienced arranger who has written for groups across Australia, New Zealand and North America. When he's not singing barbershop, Will is a full-time music student and part-time music teacher!
PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
Michael (Mike) Kelly is a respected performance coach from Seattle, Washington and has been judging Barbershop Performance since 2012. He has judged Barbershop performances all over the world including at the BHS International convention. He sings with his 3 biological brothers in the top 20 quartet: The Kelly Brothers. In 2007, he helped found and lead the first BHS youth chorus, Northwest Vocal Project and sang with Westminster to gold in 2019.
Michael studied acting and performance at Brigham Young University and has toured with the Seattle Opera. He performs and coaches in local theater and is a lifetime student of theatrical expression. He believes there is no one way to create a truly meaningful performance, but that we are all on a journey to learn how to communicate with each other in meaningful ways.
Trent Taylor is an Australasian Performance Judge celebrated for his dynamic blend of musical theatre flair and educational expertise. With a degree in Musical Theatre and a Master of Teaching and Learning, Trent brings over a decade of barbershop experience to his work. He is a seven-time national chorus champion and a national mixed quartet champion. As a passionate coach, Trent is dedicated to helping performers build authentic connections with their audiences. A lifelong tag enthusiast, he is driven by a deep belief in personal growth—both on stage and in life
Charlotte Murray has been a registered BHS Performance Judge since 2019. She co-founded Vocal FX Chorus in 2003. Under her directorship the chorus has travelled to International and has placed in the top 10 on numerous occasions. Charlotte is a High School Music Educator from Wellington, New Zealand and she loves working with her 2 school choruses and her quartets on a weekly basis. Her past students include International 2014 Champions, Musical Island Boys. Charlotte has served as a Performance Coach and Teacher at Harmony University as well as barbershop education events in Germany, Holland, Australia and New Zealand.
SINGING CATEGORY
Dr. Jay Butterfield has been active in the Barbershop Harmony Society since joining the Vocal Majority as a teen. His service includes teaching in many districts -U.S. and Canada- as well as numerous schools in Germany, Nederland, Ireland, Sweden, Ireland and the UK. It has been his honor to found, compete, coach and medal as the Musical Director of Parkside Harmony Jay has also been on the international quartet stage several times, including a top 20 semifinal appearance.
Most recently Jay shared the stage with the Vocal Majority in their 14th gold medal appearance. Jay also coached six different ensembles who appeared on the international stage in Denver.
Jay holds two degrees (B.A. and M.A.) in Music Performance, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. He was the 1996 recipient of the MENC/BHS award for service and music education, and a school Grammy Award recipient, from NARAS. He is one of only a few in BHS holding Master Director certification.
Jay Butterfield currently serves on the C&J Board of Review for Singing, and is an active voice teacher, coach, judge, and consultant in choral music and leadership design. Jay and his wife Anne, currently reside together in Lancaster, PA and the Charleston, South Carolina area.
Henrietta Hunkin-Tagaloa is a dynamic choral leader, vocal coach, and international performer based in Wellington, New Zealand. She is the founder and Co-Director of Pacific Connection, a 74-voice choir known for blending barbershop, Pacific choral traditions, and contemporary a cappella. Pacific Connection recently made history as the first NZ chorus to win a medal at the 2025 Barbershop Harmony Society International Contest, placing 3rd. She has also represented NZ in the International Sweet Adelines contest since 2005 in both quartets and choruses. Henrietta is passionate about bringing personal and cultural truth to the voice, and is widely respected for her ability to coach singers to connect deeply with their sound, story, and audience. She brings over two decades of experience in community and leadership, and currently serves as the President of Barbershop Harmony New Zealand.
David Reid began his barbershop journey in 2010 with The Blenders and quickly found a home in the barbershop community. In 2012, he became the inaugural President of Sound Connection, leading the chorus through its formative years until 2017. That same year, he entered the judging program, attending judges school ahead of the Pan Pacific Convention in Sydney.
Since then, David has served on judging panels at numerous regional festivals, the Barbershop Harmony New Zealand (BHNZ) National Festival, and the Young Singers in Harmony program in New Zealand — a particular highlight of his judging journey. Throughout this time, he has remained an active performer, singing with Sound Connection, Mixed Vocal Project, and various quartets including Catalyst, Reflex, and Top Shelf.
David continues to be driven by a love for competition and camaraderie, and finds great satisfaction in helping others discover deeper joy in the barbershop hobby. For him, the rewards of judging far outweigh the extra time and travel — the chance to contribute meaningfully to the barbershop experience is more than enough.
ADMINISTRATION CATEGORY
Linda Vinall was first introduced to Barbershop in 2008 in a mixed quartet, singing with her husband. Expanding her involvement, she became a founding member of a Sweet Adeline Chorus in Adelaide. Linda has competed in quartets and chorus contests nearly every year since so has the perspective of contestant as well as sitting in the pit. She served as the Events Coordinator for Sweet Adeline’s Australia (21-23) She currently is singing with Gospo Collective which completed a major season in the 2024 Adelaide Fringe and will be performing in their first interstate tour “A Night at the Barracks” in Sydney in September. Linda first qualified as a Contest Administrator Judge in 2011. She continues in the role of category lead.
Kevin Day is one of two certified Administrative Judges residing in New Zealand, having qualified as a judge at the Wellington Pan Pacific in 2014. Until recently, he sang with Harbour Capital Chorus as a Lead for almost 10 years, even stepping out of his comfort zone to sing in a quartet. Over the years he has volunteered as administrator for the Wellington Regional Young Singers in Harmony events as well as several of their national competitions and has been the administrative judge for numerous regional and national contests in New Zealand and Australia. At this year’s competition in Canberra, he is working alongside Linda Vinall to ensure the competition runs smoothly and that the competitors get to enjoy the most of their time on stage.
