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We welcome Amanda Yuxin Dai as the new director of Collage Vocal Ensemble, a mixed chamber choir of around 20 singers that performs compelling and challenging repertoire featuring a variety of musical genres from classical to spirituals to vocal jazz to 20th and 21st century compositions.
We perform two concerts each year. In those concerts, we have performed music from the 16th to the 21st centuries, in a multitude of languages, from classical art music, to world music, to barbershop and show tunes (even Russian ones!). Each concert program is tailored to the individual voices in the group, and designed to expose our audience to a mix of the familiar and the new. Some pieces are performed by the full ensemble; other pieces by just the women, just the men, quartets, etc.
Singers must audition for openings in the ensemble. Rehearsals and concerts are held in Menlo Park, CA.
We make music together for the sheer love of it, but we also believe in harnessing the power of the arts to improve the lives of the less fortunate in our community, and to encourage others to do the same. That is why we donate all net proceeds from our concert performances to local charities. Since our inaugural season, we have partnered with our performance venues to collect donations for LifeMoves, dedicated to solutions to homelessness, and Music in the Schools.
Our Director
Amanda Yuxin Dai received her musical training in China and then pursued two masters degrees in Choral and Instrumental Conducting from New England Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University, respectively. She is the music director, pianist and organist of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Foster City.
Our History
See our Group Photos tab for a visual history of Collage Vocal Ensemble.
As a choir director/graduate student and mother of two, Amy Stuart Hunn noticed that, here on the San Francisco Peninsula, there did not seem to be any small choirs that performed a wide range of challenging and fun repertoire. In 2011, she invited her singer friends to read through classical motets by Victoria, Rheinberger and Verdi, African-American spirituals by R. Nathaniel Dett, folk song settings, and a couple of vocal jazz arrangements. Over snacks and drinks afterwards, Amy Stuart Hunn formed Collage Vocal Ensemble.
She designed the group to be rewarding for experienced musicians, but also flexible enough to accommodate busy work and family lives. In its first five years, the group operated in two modes. In "mode 1," singers met every two weeks for a 90-minute sight-singing session. The music was chosen and provided by the director, but members were encouraged to make requests or bring music to share. These were casual, fun evenings; attendance was optional. Every fall and spring, the group transitioned to "mode 2," which is essentially a traditional model: the group met weekly (2.5-hour rehearsals) for 10 weeks, preparing a full concert program for performance.
Founding Artistic Director Dr. Amy Stuart Hunn directed the ensemble through its Spring concert in 2016 when she moved to Oregon. She holds a doctoral degree in Choral Music from the University of Southern California.
Rafael Ornes was the director of Collage Vocal Ensemble from the 2016/17 season until the 2024/2025 season. He received a Masters in Choral Conducting from Stanford University. He served as Minister of Music at Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, California. He was also the founder of the Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL).
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