DARREN DAILEY
President & Artistic Director
Darren Dailey came to Jacksonville in 2006 and since then has been shaping The Jacksonville Children’s Chorus into a world-class organization. Under his artistic leadership the Chorus has grown to serve over 1,000 First Coast children annually with five core performance choirs, multiple satellite rehearsal locations and outreach throughout the region.
A nationally-recognized clinician and conductor, Mr. Dailey has served as guest conductor in Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center and the ACDA Honor Choir in Seattle. He has presented workshops for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, Organization of Kodály Educators, American Choral Directors Association, and Music Educator’s National Conference. As the founding artistic director of the Boston Children’s Chorus, Mr. Dailey and his chorus performed at the 2004 Democratic Convention, appeared as the host chorus on the television special, “Raising the Roof: A Celebration of the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Song,” broadcast nationally on WGN, and performed internationally in Japan. He is the 2014 recipient of the Reinhold Foundation Outstanding Executive Director Award and currently serves on the Jacksonville University Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts Advisory Board. Mr. Dailey was honored 2017 by Galaxy Music to create a Choral Series specifically for children’s voices. Under his leadership, the JCC received the 2017 Diversity and Inclusion Award for the State of Florida.
Mr. Dailey has produced four recordings: “Come and Rejoice” (Cantate), “Sing!” (Boston Children’s Chorus) and “Voices for Voices” (Jacksonville Children’s Chorus). His work may also be heard on “A Boston Christmas” (Back Bay Chorale), “Building Bridges” (Mystic Chorale) and “Amani Celebration,” a limited-edition compact disc of holiday songs from 15 children’s choirs to benefit African children who have been orphaned because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Mr. Dailey received a Bachelor of Music Education degree with a concentration in Voice from Westminster Choir College and a Master of Music Education in Choral Conducting from Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music.
In 2019, Mr. Dailey was chosen by Westminster Choir College as the recipient of the distinguished Alumni Merit Award.