Voices of Jacksonville is the adult professional ensemble of the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus dedicated to increasing the awareness, appreciation, and esteem of choral music through performance, outreach, and education. Voices is comprised of faculty, alumni, and friends of the JCC. Conducted by JCC’s Artistic Director Darren Dailey, and invited guest conductors such as Rollo Dilworth, Henry Leck, and more. We have sought out Northeast Florida’s best professional singers to bring you the highest level of professional choral performances. Rehearsals are monthly on Sunday afternoons.
Audition
Interested in auditioning for Voices of Jacksonville? Send resume, 2 recordings, biography and high resolution headshot to Darren Dailey, President & Artistic Director, to schedule your audition or fill out the form below:
2022-2023 Season Roster
Sopranos
Taylor Despars, a Hollywood, FL native, has explored different realms of styles in music from opera to musical theatre to jazz, tackling Bellini while also belting Kooman and Dimond. She has been a part of multiple choral ensembles at Jacksonville University, both in the traditional choral sound in the University Singers (which she is currently Assistant Director) and even vocal jazz in the RiverTones ensemble. Throughout her college career, Taylor has been a part of many combined choral concerts, even performing as the soprano soloist in “Come Ye Sons of Art” by Purcell with the Jacksonville Camerata.
Currently, she is in her final year at JU, working towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre, studying under Kimberly Beasley. In her spare time, she occasionally sings some barbershop songs with the Big Orange Chorus and cantors for San Jose Catholic Church.
Stacey holds a Master’s of Music from Penn State, and she received her second Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from The University of Iowa. Stacey holds a position as a voice and upper airway specialist at Mayo Clinic. She has several papers published on the topics of voice and chronic cough. Mrs. Menton has also devoted some time to giving presentations on vocal wellness for singers and other professional voice users.
In her youth, she was a member of the Concert and Touring Choirs here at the Jacksonville Children's Chorus, where she traveled worldwide singing in countries such as Canada, Russia, Sweden, Germany and more. She was also given the opportunity to sing alongside stars like Kristen Chenoweth and Amy Grant.
Altos
Harmony Hurt was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida and graduated from Victory Christian Academy located on the northside of Jacksonville. While she attended Victory, she was in multiple choirs and ensembles and competed as a female soloist placing in the top 10 for the GACS Fine Arts Competitions for all 4 years of high school. In college, she performed in Chamber Ensemble as well as took private voice and piano lessons. This is her second year with Voices of Jacksonville.
Harmony Hurt is currently the Administrative Assistant to the CEO of Blue Water Industries. She volunteers for her church, Chet’s Creek North, by singing and playing piano for the Praise Band and helps Westside Baptist every Christmas season playing her French Horn and loving every moment. She is extremely thankful for the opportunity to perform with Voices of Jacksonville and other musicians who love to sing.
Rebecca Lima is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. Raised in Jacksonville, she graduated from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Voice Performance from Florida State University. She has sung in nationally recognized choirs under the direction of Wayne Bailey, Dr. Andre Thomas and John Rutter at Carnegie Hall. Rebecca has won several first place awards from the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the 2009 Voice Prize at the Schlern International Music Festival in Vols am Schlern, Italy.
Currently, Mrs. Lima enters her 13th year of teaching music education in Duval County Public Schools. Throughout the school year and summer, she enjoys time in her garden; learning various instruments and singing for local area churches.
Rebecca Minor 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 is currently a church soloist, as well as a composer of published church solos, and has two album of original music. She is also a piano and vocal instructor.
Dee Dee Tamburrino grew up in Jacksonville Beach, FL and graduated from Duncan U. Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Music History degree from Florida State University in 1983 and a Master of Music Education degree with emphasis in Arts Administration in 1992. Dee Dee has performed with the FSU Chamber Choir, the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus, River City Women’s Chorus and numerous church choirs in the community. She toured with Cam Floria’s “Continental Singers” in the 80’s and worked in their Talent Department in southern California for several years.
She is currently the Lower School Music Specialist at Providence School of Jacksonville where she was selected “Teacher of the Year” 2020-21. She is also the Vocal Coach for the Chapel Leadership Team in the Upper School. Dee Dee is a USA Swimming Certified Swim Coach and spends her summers teaching youngsters how to swim and how to be safe in and around water.
Tenors
Julian David Bryson is Director of Choral Activities at Jacksonville University (FL), where he leads three ensembles & teaches courses in conducting, musical theatre, & music appreciation. Previously, Julian served on the faculty of Curry College in Milton, MA & was a founding member of Triad: Boston’s Choral Collective. He has taught elementary, middle, & high school musicians at Randolph School of Huntsville, AL & Carlisle School of Martinsville, VA & holds a doctoral degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Kentucky, writing his dissertation on choral collectives. He also earned degrees in conducting & composition from the University of Tennessee. As a composer, he has earned national recognition including winning the Raymond W. Brock Student Composition Contest sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association & the Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition. His most recent choral composition, The Field (ubi caritas) won third place in the 2020 American Prize Competition for Major Choral Works.
From a young age, Silas Lewis learned to appreciate the beauty of music. His dad would regularly play worship music on his guitar as Silas and his siblings sang along. Annually, Silas and his family would sing Christmas carols for local neighbors and for those lodging at the Jacksonville nonprofit, Gabriel House. Silas started choral singing in high school with the men’s chorus at the Bolles School in Jacksonville. The beauty of choral singing inspired Silas to search for more opportunities to sing. Encouraged by his mom, Silas joined the Jacksonville Children’s Young Men’s Chorus and Touring Choir. The JCC gave Silas an appreciation for excellence in music as well as choral conducting. In his senior year of high school, Silas transferred to Douglas Anderson School of the Arts with a focus on vocal music. Silas received the full-tuition Kinne Scholarship from the JCC and Jacksonville University. Now a Junior in college, Silas attends Jacksonville University, where he sings with the student-led choral group, Infinitus.
Ted Munn is Minister of Worship, Music, Media and organist at Avondale United Methodist Church and the Artistic Director of the Jacksonville Masterworks Chorale. He is a graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ, where he studied choral technique with James Jordan, Allen Crowell, and Melanie Jacobson. While a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, he had the opportunity to sing with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. He was also a member of the Westminster Singers, a group that specialized in lighter musical fare and jazz, and he rang with the Westminster Handbell Choir. After receiving his Masters of Sacred Music degree from Westminster, he has worked as choirmaster at churches around the country, including Los Angeles and Atlanta. He has been the Minister of Music and Worship at Avondale United Methodist Church since 1998, where he has led a well-rounded program of children’s choirs, handbell choirs, praise bands, and traditional choral ensembles.
When he is not leading music, he is busy at home with Reggie, his husband of twenty-three years, and his seventeen year old son, Dylan. Four rescued dogs and a rescued cat are also a part of the family. He is a big fan of Broadway musicals and tries to get to NYC as often as he can. Ted also loves to travel and hopes to travel the world again as soon as the COVID pandemic is a thing of the past.
Daniel Pesante is a lifelong singer and musician from Jacksonville Florida. A JCC and JU alum, he is excited to be in the Voices of Jacksonville, bringing his experiences from the various choruses and ensembles he has participated in around the city. From barbershop and musical theatre to classical music and opera, he has been around the musical block, and enjoys singing anything that the Voices of Jacksonville has to offer.
Basses
Jeff Royal is a native of Jacksonville Florida. He is a graduate of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Jeff went on to Jacksonville University graduating with a bachelor's in elementary education. He continued at the University of North Florida and received his master's of educational leadership. Jeff has sung with various choruses including Jacksonville University chamber singers, the Don Thompson Chorale and the Jacksonville Voices.
Taisey has toured and worked with numerous theatre companies including, Asolo Repertory Theatre Company, Seaside Music Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Prather Entertainment Group and The Depot Theatre Company. Taisey has also worked in voice over, television. Taisey’s choral training and experience lies in the chamber setting as well as vocal jazz, having studied with and learned from master teachers/practitioners like Dr. Karyl Carlson, Dr. Carol Krueger, Dave Barduhn, Kirk Marcy, and Vijay Singh. He has arrangements and compositions published through Sound Music Publications. He holds an MFA in Musical Theatre from University of Central Florida and a BM in Choral Music Education from Central Washington University.
Kip Taisey is the Tom Kenan Associate Professor of Music at Flagler College where he oversees the Music and Musical Theatre Programs for the Performing Arts Department. He joined Flagler in the fall of 2015 after acting professionally for 10 years, five of which were spent in New York City.
Taisey has toured and worked with numerous theatre companies including, Asolo Repertory Theatre Company, Seaside Music Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Prather Entertainment Group and The Depot Theatre Company. Taisey has also worked in voice over, television. Taisey’s choral training and experience lies in the chamber setting as well as vocal jazz, having studied with and learned from master teachers/practitioners like Dr. Karyl Carlson, Dr. Carol Krueger, Dave Barduhn, Kirk Marcy, and Vijay Singh. He has arrangements and compositions published through Sound Music Publications. He holds an MFA in Musical Theatre from University of Central Florida and a BM in Choral Music Education from Central Washington University.
Clinton M. H. Weinberg has been teaching and performing professionally for over 20 years. Currently serving full-time as a Resident Artist at Flagler College, Clint is the Coordinator of Applied Instrument, teaches Applied Voice, and directs the Flagler College Pep Band and Drumline. Clint earned his Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice Performance from the University of North Florida, and completed graduate coursework in Voice Performance and Music Education at Valdosta State University and the University of Florida, respectively. Additionally, Clint earned a Master of Arts in Education in Teaching Excellence from Bethel University, and Education Specialist degree from the University of West Florida where he is currently completing his Doctorate in Education. Clint is also a licensed massage therapist and yoga teacher, specializing in clinical treatment and client education for performing artists. For the past three years, Clint has served as the NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) North Florida Chapter President.