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, and 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 in 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.
In 2019, Mr. Dailey was honored with the distinguished Alumni Merit Award by Westminster Choir College. In 2020, Chorus America presented Darren with the Brazeal Wayne Dennard Award in recognition of his dedication to diversity and his contributions to the African American Choral Tradition. The Jacksonville Children's Chorus, under Darren Dailey's direction, achieved significant recognition in 2022, winning the American Prize for Choral Performance. Furthermore, in the same year, the ensemble was bestowed with the David C. Brotemarkle Award for their outstanding presentation of 'Songs of the Sunshine State.'
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.
Artistic Staff
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Primary and Training Choir Conductor
Melissa Barnes served with Jacksonville Children’s Chorus for several years before moving to Alabama in 2010. She is thrilled to be returning to Jacksonville and the JCC as a Primary and Training Choir Conductor. Melissa received her Vocal Performance degree with additional studies in music education from the University of Mobile. She also studied at the University of Southern Mississippi where she was a proud member of the Marching Pride. Melissa brings over 25 years of experience in both performing and teaching all ages from preschool to adults. Her personal vocal performance experience includes leading roles in “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” “H.M.S. Pinafore,” “Mikado,” Handel’s “Messiah,” & John Rutter’s “Requiem.” She enjoys performing but has found her passion in guiding children to discover and develop their talents and creativity. She desires to assist in developing a high-quality choral music program while teaching not only musical and cognitive skills, but also social development, self-discipline, teamwork, and community involvement. She desires to teach her students by example to strive for excellence in everything they do.
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Choreographer
KT joined the JCC team in 2016 as a member of the Administrative Staff but extended her scope into the Artistic Staff in 2017. She began dancing at the age of 3 and has held a passion for the performing arts ever since. KT’s ties to the Chorus go back as far as 1996 when she joined the JCC as a young singer under the direction of Jim Taylor, the Chorus’ first conductor. In her two years as a member of the JCC, she enjoyed opportunities to perform at various venues around the state and country, and even in Carnegie Hall. During her college years, she expanded upon her dance background, becoming heavily involved in the Ballroom and Latin Dance community of Florida, where she became a professional Latin dancer, ballroom dance instructor, and even an aerialist.
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Primary & Training Choir Conductor
Virginia is a Jacksonville native and has both of her music education degrees from Jacksonville University, where in 1995 she first became involved with the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus as a volunteer. When the conductor, Jim Taylor unexpectedly couldn’t accompany the chorus to sing in New York, Virginia took the group on their very first choir experience to sing in Carnegie Hall!
Virginia has enjoyed teaching music for over 42 years in both the local private and public school systems as well as in several local churches. Elementary schools like St. Mark's Episcopal, Brookview, San Mateo, Parkwood Heights and Windy Hill have enjoyed having Virginia as their music specialist. She received the Teacher of the Year award in 1995 at Windy Hill Elementary.
She was the music specialist at Jacksonville Country Day School for 25 years and has recently retired. Her JCDS Chorus consistently received first place awards and superior ratings at the Music USA Festival in Orlando and were chosen to perform at the Florida Music Educators Conference in Tampa in 2004. Her JCDS students have been chosen to sing in the Florida Elementary All-State Chorus every year for over ten years. A special moment for her was to take her JCDS Chorus to New York where they performed in Carnegie Hall alongside the JCC under the direction of Darren Dailey when he had his Carnegie Hall conducting debut in 2008.
In 2018, the University of North Florida chose Virginia to be one of four teachers recognized with the Gladys Prior Award For Career Teaching Excellence. This is an annual award given to only four local teachers who have proven over the years to give tremendous inspiration to their students. Finally, in 2020, the Florida Music Educator Association chose Virginia to be the Florida Elementary Music Educator of the Year.
Virginia is excited to be back with the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus and believes every child deserves a chance to shine on stage. She believes in the JCC mission of inspiring excellence in young singers through a high-quality choral music education!
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Vocal Exploration Class and Voice Instructor
Rebecca earned a voice performance degree from Ithaca College and has performed in operas, musicals, classical concerts, and select vocal ensembles, including the National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall. Some highlights include performing the role of Wendy in Leonard Bernstein’s Peter Pan, produced by the Bernstein Publishing Co., and performing Luisa in The Fantasticks with C-R productions.
During her time in NYC, Rebecca was a member of a seasonal a cappella group, which was selected to perform at the White House in 2008.
Rebecca has sung professionally for numerous churches and Synagogues, including 12 years as Soloist of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston. She currently serves locally as a soloist and pianist for Sunday and Wednesday services in Jacksonville Beach, FL.
Rebecca is an artist and composer on Watchfire Music’s roster, and sheet music and recorded albums are available on the website. Her most recent original album is “Because God Loves Us”.
She is enjoying her third season in the professional choir of the Jacksonville Children Chorus - Voices of Jacksonville, under director Darren Dailey.
Rebecca has taught vocal and piano lessons privately for 10 years.
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Coming Soon!
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Instructor
Safiya Ali has been studying music since the age of 8. Starting on her grandparents organ, she developed her love for music. She has now played piano for over 17 years and has been studying voice for 12 years. She is a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida with a Masters of Arts in Music. Miss Ali also holds a Bachelors in Music Education from Jacksonville University. Miss Ali has been teaching private voice and piano lessons for 5 years and is currently an Elementary Music Teacher in St. John’s County.
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Primary & Training Choir Conductor
Susanne Dailey is a musician with many years of experience in both teaching and performing music. She has served in public and private schools in New Jersey, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Florida. In addition to teaching general music and chorus at the elementary level, Susanne has worked as Organist/Pianist at many churches throughout her career. Mrs. Dailey received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J. and her Master of Arts degree in Music Education from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. She has trained in the Kodály and Orff-Schulwerk methodologies and is committed to providing young singers with the foundations of music reading and music making. She is also a certified Kindermusik Instructor. Mrs. Dailey has been the Music Director at St. Mark’s Episcopal Day School since 2006 and teaches Pre-K through 6th-grade music classes.
Susanne is well respected as an educator and has been acclaimed for her special rapport with singers as well as her fine musicianship. She believes that music is critical in nurturing a child's cognitive, emotional, social and physical development. She is dedicated to ensuring that each child experiences the joy, and excitement learning music brings! Susanne's husband, Darren Dailey, is the Artistic and Executive Director of the Jacksonville Children's Chorus. They have two wonderful daughters, Mary and Megan.
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Collaborative Pianist
Sachiko Frampton started her career as a professional collaborative pianist soon after she started to study at the high school division of Musashino Academia Musicae, a conservatory in Tokyo, Japan. Through high school and college, she studied piano under Yoko Minagawa and Takashi Kawasaki, and collaborative piano under Penka Badev. Until she moved to the United States with her family, she performed numerous recitals as a collaborative pianist and traveled throughout Japan as a pianist with the percussion ensemble Group Woods.
Before she moved to Jacksonville in 2012, she worked in Arizona as a collaborative pianist for Grand Canyon University, high schools in the greater Phoenix area, and for the State Convention of Choral Directors of Arizona.
Here in Jacksonville, she is a staff pianist at University of North Florida School of Music and has worked with Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and Paxon School for Advanced Studies.
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Preschool Music Classes Instructor
Jessye Russom grew up taking violin, voice, piano, and viola lessons and has always known music was her passion. She began teaching private lessons part-time in 2015, and after graduating from the University of North Florida with her bachelor's degree in Viola Performance in 2018, she began building her career as a full-time private music teacher. She and her husband both teach violin, viola, cello, and piano to children of all ages. On the weekends, Jessye is a freelance musician and performs viola in trios and quartets at weddings and other special events. She is a substitute violist with the Jacksonville Symphony, and the Venice Symphony in south Florida.
Jessye has been teaching a First Steps Music class with the Jacksonville Children's Chorus since the spring of 2022. She got her first job as a preschool music teacher with the Goddard School of Ponte Vedra in 2020, and loves sharing the joy of music with preschoolers.
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Virtual Preschool Conductor
Marissa Dickerson is returning to the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus virtually from California. A Texas native, she earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University where she graduated summa cum laude. After teaching kindergarten through eighth grade music and choir, Marissa returned to Stephen F. Austin State University to pursue her Master's of Music in Choral Conducting. After completing her degree, she moved to Jacksonville and worked in elementary, teaching early childhood through sixth grade music, as well as working with the JCC Lyric, Training, and Primary choirs. The military moved her family to San Diego, CA where she is currently staying home with her two children Alan and Cecilia.
Mrs. Dickerson is passionate about making music accessible to children and making choir a place where they can work together to grow as individuals as well as musicians.
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Cantate Choir Conductor
Dr. Julie M. Song is a visiting faculty at the School of Music, University of North Florida (UNF). At UNF, she teaches multiple courses related to music and music education, including Men’s Choir (5 O’clock Singers), Research in Music Education, Advanced Choral Conducting, Teaching Elementary Music and Secondary Choral Music Methods. She also oversees student-teaching internships. Prior to UNF, Julie taught at the University of Florida, New York University and multiple universities in Korea. In addition, Julie has taught students in multiple formats in K-12 and adult lifelong learning programs in both South Korea and the USA, covering both choir and solo voices, as well as various genres of music such as classical, Broadway, pop, K-pop, and church music. She has been a choir director for more than 15 years, leading church choirs in New York and Korea. She frequently sings at local churches to support community music. She has extensive performance experience as a singer in both Korea and USA, including in the New York metropolitan area and Florida. She has had leading roles in contemporary operas, such as If This Be Madness and Rotation, and she released the album, Prayer, containing 16 new songs in English and Korean. Her research focuses on vocal health education for singers and music teachers, music education philosophy, and social justice as relates to a diverse classroom environment. Her research has been presented at international, national and regional conferences, such as the International Society for Music Education Conference, the Cultural Diversity in Music Education Conference, the National Association for Music Education Conference, and the Florida Music Education Association Conference. Her research has been published in Update: Applications for Research in Music Education. She also serves as a reviewer for leading music education journals. Julie received a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Florida, and a Post-Master’s Advanced Certification in vocal pedagogy and a M.A. in music education from New York University. She holds an M.M in music performance as a singer and a B.A in music education from Korea. Julie also studied choir conducting in the Juilliard School Evening Division, and she is Kodaly and Vocology certified. She has won several awards, including the Richard Hirsh Memorial Award for Students in the Arts (NYU), the David L. Wilmot Prize for Excellence in Music Education (University of Florida), and the Dissertation Finish Line Award (University of Florida).
Full-time Staff
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Director of Operations
353-1636, ext. 4
KT joined the JCC team in 2016 as a member of the Finance Department. With a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and experience in project management, quality engineering, and accounting, KT joined our team as Accounting Assistant and is now the Business and Development Manager for the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus.
KT’s ties to the Chorus go back as far as 1996 when she joined the JCC as a young singer under the direction of Jim Taylor, the Chorus’ first conductor. In her two years as a member of the JCC, KT enjoyed opportunities to perform at various venues around the state and country, and even in Carnegie Hall. Since then, she has continued her passion for music, participating in numerous bands and choirs at her church, and through high school and college. KT’s love of the arts has also extended to dance, where she has become a professional Latin dancer, ballroom dance instructor, and even an aerialist.
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Marketing, Recruitment, and Special Events Coordinator
353-1636, ext. 3
Kiera Bates, a native of Jacksonville, earned her bachelor's degree in Communications and Media from Florida State College at Jacksonville. Throughout her studies, Kiera had a strong desire to work with a nonprofit organization and even completed an internship with a local nonprofit prior to graduation. She is thrilled to now be a part of the JCC team and contribute to the organization's efforts in showcasing the wonderful work of The Jacksonville Children's Chorus to the community.
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Program & Volunteer Assistant
353-1636, ext. 6
Sarah, a Jacksonville native, earned her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences from Florida State University in 2022. Her journey with the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus began in 2014 as a member of the Treble Choir. She remained in the JCC until she graduated in 2018 as a member of the Touring Choir. Now, Sarah is thrilled to contribute to providing the same high-quality music education to young people that enriched her own life.
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Business Coordinator
353-1636, ext. 2
Joyanne was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She worked for a few years in healthcare at nursing and rehabilitation facilities under the Business Office. In late 2020, she started at the JCC as a volunteer helping with videography and now works as the Business Coordinator.
Joyanne’s love for music started at a young age and was involved in her school choir in middle school. She continued with music by participating in her high school chorus, show choir, and musical productions. During her time in the chorus, she participated in choral and solo and ensemble vocal competitions. She also had the opportunity to perform all over the country. Her most notable performances include performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and Disney’s Candlelight Processional. Joyanne is excited to be a part of the JCC team.
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Program and IT Coordinator
353-1636, ext. 1
Coming soon….
