Chris Maunu

Artistic Director
2023-24 Season

Chris Maunu is honored to join Choro in Schola! He is the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Pacific Youth Choir. He will also join the music education faculty at Portland State University this fall. He spent the previous 17 years as the Director of Choral Activities at Arvada West High School in Colorado and 7 years as Co-Artistic Director of the professional Anima Chamber Ensemble. A 4-time Finalist for the GRAMMY® Music Educator of the Year Award and 2-time winner of the CMA National Music Teacher of Excellence Award, Chris is a passionate advocate for music education. ​

Choirs under Maunu’s direction have performed at 13 music conferences, including National and Regional ACDA. They have won the American Prize® in Choral Performance and the Gold Diploma at the Rimini International Choir Competition. His ensembles have presented solo concerts at Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall in Chicago and Minneapolis, and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He has conducted High Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in Rome and St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

Maunu has enjoyed serving as a guest clinician for all state, festival, and honor choirs from Hawaii to Europe. He will conduct the National High School Mixed Honor Choir at National ACDA in 2025. Chris is a contributing author to “The Choral Conductor’s Companion,” published by GIA, as well as having had numerous articles appear in the Choral Journal and other publications. He has served several years on ACDA and MEA boards. Chris has enjoyed lecturing on the topics of choir recruitment, repertoire, and establishing community and culture in the classroom. Presentations include National ACDA and many other platforms. Maunu maintains an active composing career. His compositions have received American Prize Finalist honors and he has been hired for numerous commissions. Chris received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Northern State University where he was honored as Commencement Speaker. He was also a recipient of a Commendation from the 71st House of Representatives for his work in education. 

Chris holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Bachelor of Music Education from Northern State University. Most importantly, Mr. Maunu shares his life with his beautiful wife Aleisha, and their children Bodhi and Astraea.

Jacob Funk

Artistic Director
​2022-23 Season

Dr. Jacob Funk is beginning his fifth year as Director of Choirs at Clark College. He conducts three choirs in addition to teaching theory, ear training, music appreciation, rock history, and applied voice. Jacob completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the University of Missouri— Kansas City where he was a Graduate Assistant to the Choral Department, Associate Conductor of the Conservatory Concert Choir and co-conductor of the University Singers.

While at UMKC he also served as Opera Chorus Master and the director of Canticum Novum. Dr. Funk earned his masters in choral conducting from the University of British Columbia, and his undergraduate degree in vocal performance from John Brown University. Before coming to UMKC he was on the music faculty of John Brown University and Northwest Arkansas Community College, where he taught choir and voice. In addition to his work with Choro in Schola and Clark College, Jacob serves as the Two-Year College Repertoire and Resources Chair for the Washington Chapter of the American Choral Director's Association.

Amber Schroeder
​Assistant Director

Amber Schroeder, a native of Gresham, Oregon, received her Bachelor’s degree in 2001 and her Masters of Education in 2005, from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, where she participated in the award winning PSU Chamber Choir under direction of Dr. Bruce Browne (Marktoberdorf Tour 2000, Estonian Tour 2003). Since that time, Amber's teaching career has included both classroom and choral music education in the Portland area, serving school and church choirs aged Elementary through Adult.  In the Fall of 2010, she assumed the duties as Choral Director of Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, Oregon.  Her choirs have performed at events throughout the Northwest, including the Oregon Music Educators Association Conference, more recently Pacific Youth Choir's "Chanticleer" Invitational.  An active member in Nafme, OMEA and ACDA, Amber currently serves as the District 2 President for OMEA and participates on the boards of multiple nonprofits that benefit music and education. She regularly adjudicates for music events held in Washington and Oregon and works as a clinician for honor choirs and retreat settings.

An original member of Choro in Schola, Amber is in her second year as Assistant Conductor. She also sings professionally with Milwaukie Lutheran Church, Tilikum Community Choir with John and Sandy Baker and at Rodney Eichenberger's yearly Choral Conducting Workshop. Deeply rooted in her hometown, Amber recently won the "Best Teacher" award, which is voted on by members of East County where she resides with her husband Jeff and her children Andrew, Camden and Bella.

Dr. Bruce Browne
​Founder

Dr. Bruce Browne founded Choro in Schola in 2012 after retiring from Portland State University where he was Director of Choral Activities for 27 years. He imagined Choro In Schola as a choir whose mission would be to provide mentoring and promote excellence in at-risk high school choral programs.
He was Artistic Director and Founder of Choral Cross Ties, Artistic Director of Portland Symphonic Choir, and co-founded Male Ensemble Northwest. 
Browne received his D.M.A. from the University of Washington under Rodney Eichenberger and was privileged to work closely with Eric Ericson, Frieder Bernius, Robert Shaw, Andrew Parrott, Helmut Rilling and James DePreist.
Prior to coming to Portland he taught at University of Arizona, Mount Union College and Montana State University. Browne also participated in international collegiate teaching exchange programs in Guadalajara and London.
Choirs under Browne's direction have sung by invitation at five National Conventions of ACDA, three of MENC, and one of ISME. His choirs have also appeared as guests of the six European countries.
Browne served on National Endowment for the Arts committees and was Northwest Regional president of the American Choral Directors Association of which he was a proud member for 53 years. In 2012, Northwest ACDA honored him with their Leadership and Service award. 
In retirement, Browne enjoyed interim college sabbatical positions and guest conducting.
He offered many choral clinics around the US but his most favorite were those with choirs of former students.
Dr. Browne passed away in 2020, but his inspiring dedication to choral music education lives on in the hearts of the many people he touched professionally and personally during his career. Through Choro In Schola, Dr. Browne’s legacy continues to inspire youth and young adults in their pursuit of excellence in the Choral and Vocal arts.​