Dr. Burtis is in his eighth year as Director of Choral Activities at North Salem High School.  Besides teaching high school choral music and private voice for over twenty years, Dr. Burtis has also served on the faculties at the University of Southern California, Chapman University, Augustana College, Long Beach City College, and Glendale Community College. Dr. Burtis also serves as the Director of Music Ministries at Salem First United Methodist Church.

Dr. Burtis graduated with honors and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal and Instrumental Music Education from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  He received both his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Southern California.  Besides teaching, conducting, and serving as an adjudicator and clinician, he has also served on the boards of the American Choral Director's Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the California Choral Conductor's Guild, and the California Music Educator's Association.

Choirs under Dr. Burtis' direction consistently receive superior ratings and numerous invitations to perform.  Choirs under his direction have performed at Carnegie Hall and St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., as well as in Prague, Budapest, Vienna, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Jennifer Kercher, director of Bellissima, has been teaching choir at Crossler Middle School for the past 8 years.  She received her Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Music from Western Oregon University and her Masters of Arts in Teaching from George Fox University.  Jennifer’s choirs at Crossler have a tradition of excellence, winning top honors in competitions and festivals, to include 1st place wins at the Best in the Northwest Choir Festival and the Pleasant Hill Jazz Festival in 2011.  She has toured with her choirs to Disney’s Magic Music  Days in Anaheim, Heritage Festivals in San Francisco and Seattle, and most recently to the prestigious Festival of Gold in New York City.  In addition to teaching, Jennifer is kept very busy by her two young children, ages 7 and 4.  Jennifer is excited to be on board with the Willamette Girl Choir!

DeLee Brown is pleased to join the Willamette Girlchoir organization! Mrs. Brown has been a music educator and choral conductor for more than 15 years. She received her training in Vocal Music Education from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. Mrs. Brown served as the Assistant Director of the Tucson Girls_ Chorus where she directed the elementary aged girls. She also developed the Tucson Girls_ Chorus Summer Fine Arts Program where she facilitated the writing and production of original operas. After leaving Tucson, Mrs. Brown served as adjunct faculty at Georgia Southern University where she worked with pre-service teachers and supervised their student teaching.

Mrs. Brown currently teaches General Music and directs the choir at Kalapuya Elementary School in the Salem-Keizer School District. She loves working with young women, building both their musical abilities and their self esteem. DeLee and her husband David and their ten-year old son, Aaron, reside here in Salem.