Shawn Mondragon
Lead

Shawn got his start Barbershopping in High School. He has sung in many Rocky Mountain District Quartets including: “Harmony Avenue”, “The Lords of the West”, “The Mavericks” and the 2000 RMD Quartet Champions, “Distinction”. Shawn is also known by his radio name “Chaz Malibu” a popular disc jockey in New Mexico. His voice can still be heard in television and radio commercials all around the state, due to his constant voiceover work. Shawn has recently taken a hiatus from his radio persona to begin a career as a Restaurateur. He has opened a restaurant in Old Town, Albuquerque called “the Quesadilla Grille”. The only restaurant in the world that specializes in quesadillas. Shawn is a founding member of the Duke City Sound (formally the Duke City Chorus), and has been their choreographer and section leader. Shawn also is a choreographer for local high school swing choirs. He has even dabbled in freelance graphics design, and created the new logo for the Rocky Mountain District, where he has served as Music and Performance VP, along with Marketing and Public Relations VP. Shawn is married to his beautiful wife, Darlene, of ten years.

 

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Matt Vaive
Baritone


Matt started off as a somewhat musical child in Detroit, Michigan. He began playing instruments at the age of five.  Since then, he has learned to play: the Piano, Flute, Trumpet, French horn, Baritone Horn, Guitar and Banjo (Matt's kind of a one man band).  He left his hometown of Detroit when he was twenty two and moved to Albuquerque, NM, and got married to his lovely wife Marianne. Matt's interest in Barbershop was sparked after seeing, what has come to be on of his favorite movies," The Music Man."  He revealed to his wife how impressed he was with the Barbershop Quartet in the film.  His wife's boss, a Barbershopper, was trying to get him to visit a Tuesday night "New Mexi-chord's" chorus rehearsal.  Matt's wife overheard the conversation and made sure that he went. She attended with Matt at his first rehearsal.  From that night on, he was hooked. Within three weeks, he was asked to sing in his first quartet, "Harmony Prescription," and has not been without a quartet since. His next quartet of four years, placing as high as fourth place was the "Delivery Boys." After bouncing around a couple of non-competing quartets, he became the new Baritone for the "Lords of the West." This was his first quartet with Shawn Mondragon. "The Lords" were a group for almost four years, until Shawn and Greg, two of the members, moved to other states at the same time. That year, one of the Societies most beloved quartets, "Bank Street," parted ways. Matt and Shawn were approached by the former Bass of "Bank Street," Farris Collins, and asked if they would like to sing in a quartet. The Director of the "New Mexi-chords," Darren Pretzel, was contacted to be the Tenor. With only four weeks of long distance rehearsal, "Distinction" won the RMD Competition in 2000, and remained a quartet for two years. Matt is lucky to have a loving wife, Marianne, that is incredibly supportive of his chosen "Sport" of Barbershop, and has two awesome kids Genevieve and Joshua, who are very involved in music and have both attended the "Duke City Chorus Youth Harmony Camp." His daughter ,Genevieve, even has her own young women's quartet named "How We Met". Matt
has gone back into the Pest Control Industry and is the current owner of "Harmony Pest Management LLC". If you need anything "taken care of" just give him a call 505-975-2926.

 

 

 

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Marco Gonzalez
Bass

 

An avid Barbershopper for over 15 years. Many people find it hard to believe that this is Marco's first quartet! Marco comes from a musical family. He spent many years in various school bands playing trumpet. Eventually he took up singing in the church choir with both his parents. Marco actually led his father, John Gonzalez, to the "barbershop calling" after seeing a quartet sing Christmas carols in, of all places, a barbershop! Who'd have thunk it? Marco, along with his father John, have been beloved regulars at "Harmony College" (now called "Harmony University"), the Society's week long Summer learning camp, for many years. Born in Germany, raised in Texas, with many years living in Albuquerque, and even a short stint in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Marco has recently become the "long distance" member of the quartet. Due to his father's battle with a brain tumor for the past few years, Marco decided to move to Huntsville, Alabama. He wanted to take care of his father, and ease a bit of the burden from his mother Gladys. On a positive note, since his move, he has developed an interest in medicine, and will soon head into the field of health care. Before you know it, he'll be mending bones, and fixing chords. By the way ladies, the "soon to be doctor" is single!

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Tim MacAlpine
Tenor

Tim was born in Kettering, England, with Welsh roots on his mother's side and Scots on his fathers. This, of course, speaks of a heritage in vocal music crossed with a tendency to look comfortable in a knee-length skirt. After a whirl-wind tour of Asia and Australia, Tim landed in Los Angeles, California at a little over one month old and began his life as an American. Always a ham and class clown, Tim began his musical life singing with the choir in elementary school in California. He took up trumpet briefly in middle school and tinkered with guitar in high school and college. He there discovered concert dance and went on to a brief career in musical theater in the New York City area, followed by puppetry and a little miming. Then there was a long dry spell as he settled into the practical life of a computer programming and support specialist. He returned to the dance in the early '90s when he joined an amateur dance company after he moved to Albuquerque. While taking a break from the dance company to review his life priorities, he was introduced to barbershop harmony by his supervisor at work, Bill Chambers. Tim found himself being drawn into the formation of a new Barbershop chapter and chorus -- the Bernalillo County's Duke City Chorus, under the direction of none other than Farris Collins. Tim started out his barbershop life singing baritone under the tutelage of Matt Vaive, the then baritone section leader for the DCC. Ironically, when Tim asked Matt if he thought a switch from baritone to tenor would be possible, Matt said "NO!", or words to that effect. Of course, being a good baritone, Tim decided to ignore that and pursue a path as a Tenor anyway. This, of course, became one of the necessary elements for the formation of "the Summit." Tim often wonders how he got where he is, but then shrugs and gets back to annoying Matt and making music with the greatest bunch of guys ever. Tim lives in a state of tension between technology and the performing arts. Currently he is working at Sandia National Laboratories as a requirements analyst while at the same time dancing with Dance Expose' an amateur dance company, and singing with The Summit. He can even be caught doing vocal and voice-over work at the Labs on occasion! Everyone wonders what he is going to be when he grows up; but don't anyone hold your breath! He would like to give special thanks to his loving wife, Diane, who is his number one fan and source of support. Big kisses, Honey! (Matt HATES it when we do that!)

 

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Last revised: February 09, 2010.