Jamie Carey

April 14, 2018

Dear Pioneer District Hall of Fame Committee,

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes Chorus, I want to express our unanimous support for the Pioneer District Hall of Fame nomination for James “Jamie” Carey. Jamie has been a member of the Society for 33 years, in both the Pioneer and Southwestern Districts. He has directed both the Lansing and Grand Rapids chapters.

Currently directing the Grand Rapids chapter, he has taken the chorus from less than 20 active singers and built it quickly to an “A’ level chorus with over 50 singers, qualifying four years in a row for the BHS international competition.

As a quartet singer he has sung in four Pioneer District champions – Full Chord Press, FIREPOWER!, Majestyx, and Upper Deck, and has represented the district several times on the international stage.

At the district level, he has taken on several jobs in recent years, organizing Quartet Top Gun events, Quartet Boot Camps, and workshops for chorus directors in his role as Director of Chorus Director Development. Perhaps his most noteworthy accomplishment is his role in forming the Harmony Mercenaries. This program has proven hugely successful in getting singers from several Pioneer chapters together to learn new songs and support each other. The Mercenaries have sung now on several chapter shows and continue to add new repertoire each year.

He is continuing his enthusiastic involvement for the district by getting involved in the annual Bush League event, and is working to turn this year’s Bush League into a weekend full of competition, Harmony Mercenaries, and quartetting.

His enthusiasm and dedication to barbershopping are evident in everything he does. The members of the Grand Rapids chapter see this each and every week. We believe that Jamie Carey deserves to be in the Pioneer District Hall of Fame. It is my understanding that the Hall of Fame committee will meet during the upcoming spring convention. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with the committee to discuss this nomination.

Best regards,

Doug Weaver
President, Great Lakes Chorus