Founder of Sanjam Events
Originally from Belgrade, Vera moved to Chicago at the age of two and started her first violin lessons at age of seven with the renowned pedagogue, Dr. Milton Goldberg. Thereafter, she rapidly evolved into an active performer traveling all over Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa participating in international music festivals, competitions, master classes. She has performed in several major concert halls under the baton of notable conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Peter Oundjian, Markus Stenz, and David Robertson, to name a few. Vera was honored to be perform several times for the Crown Prince Alexander and Princess Katherine of former Yugoslavia both for their LifeTime gala foundation at the historical Chicago Cultural Center and for Vera’s own non-profit organization, Sanjam Events.
Teaching for over 20 years, it has always been Vera’s undying ambition to devote herself to helping students become fine musicians. She has successfully prepared them for auditions, conservatory entrance exams, and competitions, all of who have won first prizes and gold medals. This has been recognized by directors of fine music schools in Chicago, Florence, Vienna, and New York City who have offered her permanent positions as a violin instructor and ensemble coach. While also having lived in Berlin, she was co-leader of the board of directors for the Suzuki Method Institution.
Vera received her Master’s in a double concentration in Violin Performance and Pedagogy at Northwestern University where she studied with Gerardo Ribeiro. At Illinois Wesleyan University, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance where she performed Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto with the symphony orchestra after winning the concerto competition. She graduated with honors and was granted numerous scholarships and awards at both institutions. In 2019, she completed a second Master’s degree in Viola performance and pedagogy at the Conservatorio di Firenze “Luigi Cherubini” with the highest score.
After absorbing many cultures and living different lives, she has now come to the path of being an organizer of unique high-end events that never fail to enchant all who participate, transporting them to an idyllic fantasy world. In constant collaboration with the Belgrade Philharmonic, National Opera of Serbia, Italian operatic soloists and symphonic orchestras such as Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, Maggio Musicale, St. Luke’s Orchestra in New York, Tonkünstler in Vienna, nationally acclaimed dancers and visual artists, she performs concerts which incorporate all mediums to inspire rising stars and all who attend to push forward high culture in society. On the side, her new passion is creating her own compositions. Each reflects different chambers of her subconscious which have been formed by worldly experiences, layering her acoustic and electronic instruments in abstract ways. After experimentation, she has started a new form of music therapy in collaboration with the Crown family where she creates and composes musical “memory books” for patients with Alzheimer’s after spending time with them and learning what musical memories have remained in their hearts.
