ambassador

quartet 

The Opus 1 Ambassador Quartet was founded in 2025 in partnership with Chamber Music Houston. The Ambassadors – a string quartet of high school students who have demonstrated skill, commitment, and professionalism in chamber music and community presence – are selected by audition and interview when a member of the current Ambassador Quartet graduates. 

The purpose of the Ambassador Quartet is to create tailored youth-to-youth engagement with under-served kids across Houston through chamber music. With mentorship from the Opus 1 faculty and other professional mentors and coaches across the country (notably Empowered Creatives in Chicago, IL: www.empoweredcreativesproject.com), the Ambassadors:

  • Set goals and create a mission for their community impact and activities

  • Identify organizations in Houston communities where music education and exposure are inaccessible 

  • Build a relationship with these organizations

  • Create an outreach plan tailored to each organization with their input, which may include interactive concerts/presentations for large groups and student-to-student educating

  • Create programs or lesson plans in preparation for these events

  • Manage the logistics, follow-up, and final reporting for these events

  • Perform in additional formal concerts including the Opus 1 Chamber Music School trimester concerts and masterclasses

Over the course of a year, the Ambassadors accumulate roughly 120 community service hours certified by Opus 1 (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization). In addition, their activities represent missional, professional leadership among their peers and the Houston music community and a set of skills most young adults don’t build until they’ve already joined professional life. 

In addition to coachings with Opus 1 faculty and guest coaches on their repertoire, the Ambassador Quartet participates in frequent “workshops”. The purpose of the workshops is to collaborate and learn from mentors about the logistics and presentation planning elements of Ambassador activities: public speaking, professional communication, interactive program design, event planning, and the ins and outs of meeting a specific community’s needs. 

The Ambassador Program is tuition-free thanks to the generous support of Chamber Music Houston.

Meet Our 2026-2027 Ambassadors!

Eleni Diehl, violin

Eleni is a rising sophomore at Kinder HSPVA. She has been playing the violin for about 8 years and thoroughly enjoys playing chamber music! Outside of music, she also enjoys being in the outdoors and likes to windsurf and mountain bike.

Octavia Lane, violin and viola

Octavia has been playing violin for 10 years. She attends Kinder HSPVA as a rising sophomore in the orchestral department. Recently, she entered her first competition and won a spot in the Lone Star Area Honors recital. Aside from violin, Octavia likes to work with cameras. “I enjoy taking pictures of my friends and have been volunteering as a videographer at my church for 3 years.”

Vanae Schunk, violin and viola

Vanae has played the violin for 10 years, beginning at age 6. She serves as a first violinist in the Houston Youth Symphony’s top “Symphony” orchestra and is the most recent overall winner of its Concerto Competition, which will feature her as soloist in an upcoming performance with the orchestra. She also studies chamber music at Opus 1 Chamber Music School in Houston.

In the past year, Vanae has appeared twice as a concerto soloist, performing the first movement of the Barber Violin Concerto at the Virtuosi of Houston’s 26th Concerto Concert and again as the Youth Concerto Competition winner with the Energy Corridor of Houston Orchestra (ECHO). Last summer, she was one of a select group of high school students chosen for the Texas Music Festival Orchestral Institute at the University of Houston, where she was a finalist in the Cynthia Woods Mitchell / Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition.

Vanae has served as concertmaster of Clements High School’s Chamber Strings varsity orchestra, and placed 13th in the TMEA All-State auditions, earning a position in the Texas All-State Orchestra first violin section. She studies violin with Richard Lin, a graduate of both Curtis and Juilliard, and a winner of the 2018 Indianapolis International Violin Competition.

Gianna McDonald, cello

Gianna began playing cello in kindergarten at age 5 and has been playing for 10 years. As a soloist, she has competed in concerto competitions for Clear Lake Symphony and has been a finalist in those of Houston Civic Symphony and ECHO Orchestra. Additionally, Gianna participated in solo masterclasses with Brannon Cho and Eunghee Cho, as well as chamber music masterclasses with Norman Fischer, Brian Hong, and Greg Sauer. She has been part of Opus 1 Chamber Music School since 5th grade and has been a participant in their summer music program. She is a rising sophomore at Kinder HSPVA and a student of Christopher French, Associate Principal Cello of the Houston Symphony. Gianna has placed in Region 23’s top orchestra each year since 6th grade. Aside from playing cello, she enjoys traveling and is also interested in neuroscience.

Ambassador Quartet FAqs

I’m currently in 8th grade and will be a high school freshman next year. Am I eligible?
Yes!

I’m not currently in the Opus 1 Chamber Music School. Can I still apply to be an Ambassador next year?
The Ambassador Quartet is only open to students who have participated in Opus 1 for at least one trimester and are in good professional standing with the organization.


I’ve never done any outreach presentations or teaching. Will I be comfortable in the Ambassador Program?
You may not be now, but you will be! Workshops are designed for participants of all experience levels to become comfortable with all aspects of the Ambassadors’ responsibilities.


If I become an Ambassador, will I also be able to play in a non-Ambassador Opus 1 ensemble?
Yes, you may also choose to enroll in another ensemble, but it is not required. The Ambassador scholarship does not extend to an additional ensemble.


How often do Ambassador activities take place? What’s the time commitment?
The Ambassadors are expected to meet weekly on average for rehearsals, coachings, and workshops. They are expected to meet more frequently as needed for extra rehearsals and planning meetings to meet deadlines and maintain a high level of performing quality. Outreach events will begin in October and will continue throughout the year on a roughly once- or twice-monthly basis. Over the course of a year, the Ambassadors accumulate roughly 120 community service hours certified by Opus 1 (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization)


What kinds of organizations do the Ambassadors visit?
In the 2025-26 year, the Ambassadors gave presentations at Community Family Centers, the Houston Public Library, Montrose Grace Place, Western Academy, TX Children’s Hospital, and more.


I have ideas for other organizations- can we visit new ones?
Absolutely! The Ambassadors are expected to create opportunities and partnerships with organizations that interest and inspire them.


Can I be an Ambassador for part of the year? What if my availability changes mid-year?
The Ambassador Program is a non-negotiable full-year commitment that members are expected to prioritize. Confirmed outreach activities may not be rescheduled, and members are expected to treat rehearsals, coachings, and workshops as professional, paid activities in accordance with the scholarship they receive and the reliance of other organizations on their professionalism. Students who have not demonstrated a likelihood of meeting these standards in their previous Opus 1 activities will not be considered for the Ambassador Program. 

FAQs

  • Coachings take place Saturdays throughout the day at Chapelwood United Methodist Church. Each group is assigned a one-hour coaching block, followed by a 30-60 minute rehearsal block (duration determined by level of chamber music experience and age).

  • At Opus 1, we know how important it is for students to be a part of a group that not only plays well together, but enjoys spending time together. We know this because some of our closest friends were made through chamber music!

    Each trimester, we invest much time and thought into assembling our groups based on compatibility: level, age, personality, and availability. We also value student input and encourage students to communicate personnel requests, which we will do our best to honor if possible.

    In the event that a suitable group is unavailable, you will be placed on a wait list. If you have enrolled on a full-year basis, a tuition refund will be provided for the wait-listed trimester.

  • Each trimester consists of eleven weeks: ten weeks of available coaching time and an end-of-trimester recital. At the beginning of each trimester, students will have the opportunity to indicate their availability for each of the ten proposed coachings. From the ten available coaching weeks, the eight coachings with the highest number of attendees will be confirmed. If a student is absent for one of the eight coachings chosen by Opus 1, that will constitute an excused absence.

  • Due to the nature of a chamber ensemble (only one person per part), it is important that every member be present at as many coachings as possible. At Opus 1, students are allowed one excused absence per trimester. If a student needs to be absent beyond their one excused absence, they are responsible for scheduling a make-up coaching with their group members and coach in advance of the missed coaching.

    Exceptions to our attendance policy include uncontrollable conflicts, such as college auditions, and In the case of an unforeseen emergency absence, such as a family emergency or illness. Students must submit an absence request in writing to an Opus 1 director. An absence resulting from uncontrollable circumstances does not count towards a student’s one allotted excused absence, and every effort will be made to make-up the coachings.

  • Chamber music masterclasses and trimester performances are required events for all Opus 1 students. If a student is unable to attend a chamber music masterclass, they must communicate their reasons for missing in writing to an Opus 1 Director, and the absence will be recorded as their one excused absence. If a student wishes to make-up for this absence, they may watch the masterclass video recordings and submit a written assignment detailing their observations and what they learned from each group.