Welcome to the Vancouver Bach Choirs Singer Profile Series. We wanted to showcase some of our valued members who contribute to the fabric of our vibrant and strong community.
Singer Spotlight

Amanda Jangula
Sarabande Soprano
Amanda joined the VBC at 9 years old, and 28 years later is still singing with us!
About Amanda: “I am a third generation Vancouverite with a Theatre degree who accidentally stumbled into international sporting events as a profession. When I’m not on an airplane or chasing the Olympic flame across the globe, I can be found in the Soprano section of Sarabande or spending time in our stunning city with my incredibly patient husband.”
What inspired you to join the choir? “After a couple summers of participating in Choralstage, I was drafted by the late and great Joyce Maguire [VBC Children’s Choir Founder]. My mom loved the fact that VBC contained not just a performing element, but also an educational component that could foster my love of music.”
Do you have a favourite memory of a performance or the choir in general? “If I had to pick a standout moment, it would be when my husband and I got married last year. A group of choir friends, including the Sarabande conductor, Shane Raman, sang as I walked down the aisle. Having members of the choir be part of such a huge life moment was incredibly special, as the Vancouver Bach Choir has played such a important role in my life.”
What keeps you coming back to VBC? “A combination of the amazing music we get to sing as well as the people we get to sing with. For me, it truly feels like a family.”
Do you have a favourite choral piece? “There is something about the rendition of O Holy Night at the Christmas with the Bach Choir Concert that gets me every year. Hearing all of the voices come together is extremely powerful.”
What are you most looking forward to this season? “Christmas with the Bach Choir will be a pretty special concert this year. It will be my last performance before my husband and I welcome our future Piccolo to the world.”

Robert White
Sarabande
Robert White has been singing with our Sarabande choir since 2012!
About Robert White: “I’m an urban planner with a background in interaction design trying to learn as much as I can about how this world works. When I’m not at work or at choir, I like to create interactive maps and 3d models of current/historical places, or walk down a street I haven’t visited before.”
What inspired you to join the choir? “I grew up in a musical home singing in church and school but as an adult found myself missing a choir community of my own. A few minutes into observing a rehearsal, the repertoire, singers, and team behind VBCC and Sarabande had me convinced this was the right fit.”
Do you have a favourite memory of a performance or the choir in general? “Starting off a set with an a capella solo in the Orpheum was a pretty special opportunity I never thought I’d have before joining the choir; as was singing in the world premiere of Brian Current’s River of Light with the Vancouver Opera Festival. Thanks to connections made through the choir, some of us had the pleasure of accompanying Andrea Bocelli at a packed Rogers Arena in 2015 which is a memory I’ll never forget!”
What keeps you coming back to VBC? “Each rehearsal is a great excuse to let my world slow down a bit for an hour and a half as I focus on bringing beautiful music to life with a lot of wonderful people. It has become an integral part of my overall well-being, and I’m so thankful for everyone who supports us behind the scenes.”

Jenny Cheng
Jenny has been with VBC for just over one year and we’re excited to hear how she’s been enjoying our choir community!
About Jenny: “Both my husband and I took early retirement from our careers and found ourselves facing a late “mid-life crisis”; so we moved quickly to channel our artistic energies into doing more intensely what we have always loved to do… him into ballroom dancing… and I into singing”
What inspired you to join the choir? “Singing is the most unique form of human expression as a group bringing joy to others … After singing with a few other choirs in Vancouver, it finally feels like I’ve found a home to where my heart can belong, with VBC, where I get to sing my favourite Classical works as well as [discover] and learn a new repertoire.”
Do you have a favourite memory of a performance of the choir in general? “My highlight of this past year is our trip to New York in May, led by Maestro Dala, to perform at Carnegie Hall, singing Mozart’s “Sparrow” Mass and Haydn’s Te Deum – a fantastic experience that will remain unforgettable for life.
On the home front, I am most impressed with the eclectic repertoire taken on by the VBC during this past year – my first year with the choir. During just one Season (2018-19), our dynamic Maestro Leslie Dala was able to lead us through a repertoire that spanned through ages and across continents, cultures and genres.”
What keeps you coming back to VBC? “It is a joy to sing with the VBC – each and every rehearsal energizes me. No other choirs in the city had taken me on a journey in choral singing as interesting as that with the Vancouver Bach Choir.
To me, the important functions of a fine choir in a community are:
1. To nurture and deliver a high quality of singing.
2. To present and perform the Master works from the Classical repertoire of Western Music through the ages, from the styles of Gregorian Chant, traditional Mass and oratorials, symphonic choral, to contemporary musicals and Movies, etc.
3. To present, e.g., premiere, and help promote the works of contemporary musicians, e.g., Canadian composers.
4. To include people of all ages in the community from juniors to seniors.
And the VBC does all of the above admirably.