The staff of the North American Choral Company wants to take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to giving young people the chance to excel musically, the courage to excel personally and to provide a safe place where every individual matters.

Jayne Schuitema

Jayne Schuitema entered the world of music education and performance 18 years ago when her oldest child joined the youth choir at St. Cecilia Music Society. She began her involvement with that organization first as a volunteer but quickly joined as a staff member. From that time choral music and its impact on the lives of children has been her passion.

Music and art has been a part of Jayne’s life from childhood on. She went to concerts and art museums, took the requisite lessons, and played the clarinet in school. Even though becoming anything more than the most amateur middle school musician was not in the cards, the life-long benefits of music education became abundantly clear to her. Because of this she made sure her children were able to benefit from having art and music in their young lives but soon discovered that for a huge number of kids that was not the case….leading her to the founding the NACC.

Along with wanting art and music to be in all children’s lives, she understood that they needed to be recognized as artists in their own right and deserved the best music education possible and exposure to world renowned artists and conductor’s. Additionally, Jayne was driven to find ways to make the NACC as diverse as the city itself and making choral music accessible and relevant to ALL young people of the area. To make that a reality the NACC began a satellite in school choral program in Grand Rapids Public School buildings, bringing choral music to schools where there was none.

Travel is also an integral part of the education at the NACC. Jayne believes that to have our young population ready to compete in the global market place and for our city to thrive they must be citizens of the world. Many of the young people who participate in the NACC have not traveled outside of West Michigan, let alone around the country or the world. Travel is not inconsequential, but critical for them to understand and compete in the world. The NACC believes that travel and touring is first and foremost about education, and it is these experiences that prepare the young people of today to be the global citizens society needs for success in the future. In the past NACC singers have toured to places as diverse as Des Moines, Iowa and Accra, Ghana...and performed in New York City for the Friends of the United Nations and in Dublin Ireland to help raise money for the Irish Special Olympics.

Jayne loves working with young people, is thrilled to have the opportunity to keep learning from them and have a bird’s eye view to watch the magic that happens when music is made.

Mark Jackson

Mark Leroy Jackson joined the North American Choral Company as its Music Director in May, 2009.  He grew up in Grand Rapids singing in various church choirs around town. His decision to take choir in high school was a direct result of a visit to Riverside Middle School by the Creston High School Honors Chorale under the direction of Duane Davis, now a world-renowned educator, conductor, arranger and clinician. Those new choral experiences in opened his mind to the incredible world of music from musical theater and jazz, to European classical, and all types of world music.

Mark spent most of his early adult years living in West Michigan working at Pizza Hut, until he'd had enough. He packed up his car and moved to New York City with nothing, rolled up his sleeves, hit the pavement and began to get work as a studio session singer. His best buddy Mike encouraged him to audition for a new show called, Rent. He auditioned without the slightest dream of ever getting to perform on a Broadway stage, but now has performed the role of Tom Collins in New York and London, as well as 2 national touring companies, and received a Drama-Logue Critic's Award and an LA Ovation award for his performance in the Los Angeles production.

In addition to his theater experience, Mark has sung on several national jingles including Ford, MTV, Nickelodeon, and AT&T, and have performed live with artists such as Idena Menzel, TC Carson, Andre Simone, Johnny Mathis, Lyle Mays, Nikki Haris and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show with recording artist Charice Pempengco. Mark can currently be heard singing group vocals on Gary Fry's Christmas In Chicago, a new recording of a perennial Chicago seasonal classic, on Tom Knific's upcoming CD performing Blackbird with acoustic bass and voice only, and on Meijer's Juicy Juicy radio jingle. 

Mark’s classroom and conducting experiences have included teaching jazz history at Grand Rapids Community College, directing the college's Shades of Blue vocal jazz ensemble in the New York City Jazz Festival at Jazz At Lincoln Center, conducting the NACC's Star Wars In Concert choir at Van Andel Arena, and participating in various clinics and workshops at schools throughout West Michigan.

Locally, Mark has performed as a guest soloist with the Calvin Alumni Choir, an Opera Grand Rapids chorus member in La Traviata, The Barber of Seville, The Magic Flute, Romeo and Juliette, and Don Giovanni, and with his r&b/soul/pop band, Hey Marco!

He received his masters degree in jazz performance from Western Michigan University.

Back at home once again, Mark is committed to the continued nurturing of artists in the West Michigan community.

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Ella Morgan

"I knew that I wanted to be a music teacher from the time that I entered High School. Attending Northview, I had an amazing music teacher named Judy Pellerito. Her guidance, support and encouragement throughout my high school years showed me that teaching students to love music through using their voice was exactly what I wanted to do!

My father was a pastor when I was growing up, so I naturally grew up with the love of music and theatre. I remember being Mary in the church play and having multiple solos and choir opportunities by being involved in the arts at my church.

During my college years at Cornerstone University I began to have such a passion for inner city students. It was at that time that knew that the only place I wanted to teach in our city was for Grand Rapids Public Schools. I have been teaching music now for GRPS for 7 years and even though it has come with many challenges, I love my job. The one and only reason why I come to work every day is to guide, support and encourage my students. The kids are what make GRPS and the inner city so special to me! "

Ella is in her first year with the North American Choral Company. She is a product of Northview Public Schools. After High School, Ella attended Cornerstone University where she majored in Music Education, sang in the choirs and performed, choreographed, stage managed and directed many musicals and plays. For the past 6 years, Ella has instructed choir, band, and orchestra at the middle school level for Grand Rapids Public Schools. This school year she will be teaching elementary music at Aberdeen and choir at City High School. She has also been a private piano instructor for the past 8 years.

Ella has been married to Daniel for 5 years and they have a daughter named Sadie who just turned one in May. Together the couple co-directed “Annie” (2009) and “Hello, Dolly!” (2010) for the students at Union and City High School. Ella is very passionate about her work and the way that the arts can impact students in such a great way.

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Duane Davis
Duane Shields Davis, originally from Cleveland, recently retired as Director of Vocal Music at Grand Rapids Community College, after 39 years as a full-time teacher music educator. He continues to serve as Chorus Master for Opera Grand Rapids, a position he has held since 1986. Duane recently became the Instructor of Vocal Jazz at Western Michigan University.

Duane is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Legacy Award presented by the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Maynard Klein Award for Choral Excellence presented by the American Choral Directors Association of Michigan. His choral and vocal jazz ensembles have toured the U. S., Bahamas, Japan and Europe, and performed in New York’s Carnegie, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls.

His community college vocal jazz ensemble, Shades of Blue, opened for Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Tony Bennett, Bob McGrath and served as a clinic group for Bobby McFerrin, Phil Mattson and others.

Duane has served a director of The Disney-Grammy All American College Singers at EPCOT for Walt Disney World, where the singers performed with and opened concerts for numerous music legends. He also had the pleasure of conducting the opening ceremonies for the Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom.

Duane has conducted all-state choirs in Arizona, California, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Wisconsin. His compositions and arrangements have been premiered by the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra and Gold Company of Western Michigan University.

Duane served as guest clinician at the Riga, Lativia for the 5th International Rhythmic Music Festival RigasRitmi.Choral, The 7th World Symposium on Choral Music, in Kyoto, and the Tokyo Choral Directors Association. Duane has conducted at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center Jazz. Duane recently served as the Director of Gold Company at Western Michigan University and this past summer lead the Gold Company Sextet on a tour of France as guest of the Polyfollia Music Festival.

This year Duane will adjudicate the New York City Jazz Festival at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Ontario Choral Festival in Toronto, the Indiana All-State Jazz Choir and the Symphony with Soul with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra..

Duane and Mark work together team teaching the NACC choirs at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy. 

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Chase Jackson

Chase joined the North American Choral Company as an intern in March of 2010. Chase will be receiving a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University in music industry management upon completion of the internship with the NACC.  He has also studied recording technology and classical guitar at Grand Rapids Community College.  Chase is a member of multiple local bands including Mark Jackson’s band Hey Marco!

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