The Estonian ensemble Collage was founded in 1966 by Rivo Dikson and included students from The Tallinn Conservatory and The Tallinn School Of Music and Pedagological Institute. Anne Erm, one of the band's original voices, named the band Collage as it's repertoire included a broad range of music: jazzed-up pop songs, arrangements of classical instrumental music, scores for small formations, large jazz orchestras and original works by Estonian Composers. Soon the Repertoire was further expanded to include Estonian folk music thanks to a request from Estonian Television which commissioned five folk songs as part of an ethnographic program. These songs were also included in the ensemble's first LP: Collage, released in 1970 (recording company Melodija, D-028231-2). Estonian traditional folk songs (known as runo-songs) had not received widespread use in pop music, it seemed that such use had potential. From then on folk music achieved a significan position in the band's repertoire.
Contact with the cWork ff Swedish pianist and composed Jan Johansson (1931-1968) at The Tallinn Jazz Festival in 1966 and 1967, as well as the work of Estonian composer Veljo Tormis (1930) influenced the band to an active involvement with folk music. Collage's use of runo-songs has in turn influenced the activities of other ensembles through the years within the Estonian musical landscape and abroad.