South Carolina Elementary Honor Choir

Comprised of auditioned singers in grades 4, 5, and 6 from across South Carolina, the SCMEA Elementary Honor Choir convenes annually at the SCMEA Professional Development Conference.  Past clinicians have included Dena Byers, Laura Brundage,  Herbert Washington  Lynell Joy Jenkins, Henry Leck, Andrea Ramsey, Rollo Dilworth, Ken Berg, Christi Cary Miller, and many others.

 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 Educators’ 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. 

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. 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.

Tammy Lorick is a retired choral director, music educator, and piano instructor. While at Lexington School District One she served as Co-Director of the Lexington School District One Children’s Honor Choir, was Assistant Choral Director/accompanist/music theory instructor for Tri-District Arts Consortium, and has been a participant in the SC Curriculum Leadership in the Arts program, writing both choral and general music curricula for the district and state. The choirs have performed at SCMEA Conferences, SC ACDA Conferences, the Annual SC Governor’s Carolighting, and also with the Lexington County Choral Society. She was selected Teacher of the Year at her school and was twice selected as Parent-Teacher Association Outstanding Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Lorick received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education with choral emphasis and a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from the University of South Carolina. She achieved her Master’s plus 30 in music education through the College of Charleston, Appalachian State University, and the University of South Carolina. Her additional music studies and training were received from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina and the Sherwood School of Music in Chicago, Illinois. Mrs. Lorick is a vocal adjudicator and also serves as piano accompanist for many ensembles and choral clinics/events.