Mile High Chapter

         

Denver Tech Chapter & Mile High Chapter

Our History

Sound of the Rockies formed in 2000 after the successful merger of two great Denver chorus traditions.

The Mile High City celebrates a long history of excellent choruses. Since the 30-chapter Rocky Mountain District of the BHS was founded in 1977, up to three strong choruses always have represented Denver with distinction. In the 1970s and ’80s, the Mile High Chapter (chartered in 1947) dominated district chorus competitions. Then the Denver Tech Chapter, which launched in 1987, took the lead for several years, coming out ahead of some of the Rockies’ most successful choruses. However, by 1999, these two winning ensembles were languishing.

Not wanting to give up on their talent and the potential that would come from joining forces, a small group of representatives from each led the way in merging the two and creating Sound of the Rockies. Founding director Darin Drown (2000-14) was responsible for much of Sound of the Rockies’ success in its first 15 years.

Darin directed the Sound of the Rockies to their highest 3rd place achievement ever on the BHS International stage in 2014 in Las Vegas Nevada, the with the famous "Pirate Set."

Pirate Medley

 

Award-winning chorus director Mark Hale directed the chorus from 2014 to 2022, with many award winning performances on the BHS International stage.  In 2018 The Sound of the Rockies placed 4th in Orlando Florida.

 

 

Tyler Wigginton assumed the reins of Director in 2022 and continues today in directing & leading the Sound of the Rockies in a new direction.

 

 

With the BHS announcing the "Everyone in Harmony" moto several years ago, helped the Denver Mile Chapter into a new and exciting direction, welcoming The Timberliners Chorus to the chapter. Originally from Boulder, The Timberliners have been in existence for decades. Their mission is to enrich lives through singing barbershop classics and modern contemporary music.

Under the direction of Tyler Wigginton, this group took the bold step of transitioning from a male chorus to a mixed chorus in fall 2018. The singer’s ages range from mid-20’s to mid-80’s. Families are welcome and many couples and parent/child duos are able to sing together in a barbershop chorus for the first time in their lives.

The Timberliners are a high achieving mixed barbershop chorus in the Denver area that have recently appeared in 2 consecutive BHS international chorus contests. After accepting the position of Director with our sibling chorus (the Sound of the Rockies), our director Tyler Wigginton has decided to pass the torch to Jadyn Johnson as music director, so that the Timberliners can continue to grow and excel.

 

 

Jadyn Johnson is a dedicated music educator with a degree in music education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As a third-generation barbershopper, she brings a rich tradition to her passion for teaching. With six years of experience in music education, she has taught students from Pre-K to 12th grade and has also served as a coach and clinician for various groups across the country.

In 2017, she achieved success in the barbershop world by singing in the championship quartet, Adrenaline. Beyond her professional and musical pursuits, she shares her life with fiancé Christian Diaz, who shares her love for barbershop harmony, and their beloved dog, Sound.