Piano

Instruments include piano, drum set, and electric bass
Leader of VLAD Project
Performed or recorded with Jeff Coffin, Anthony Cox, Peter Erskine, Antonio Sanchez, Dave King, Matthew Garrison, Ben Monder, and others
Recordings include Vladan Milenkovic: Musica Solitaria (Oceanodromus Music Productions, 2010); UNI Jazz Band One: Memento (Sea Breeze Vista Records, 2005) and The Unlikely Event (Sea Breeze Vista Records, 2004); Amarcord: Amarcord (1995); Lola V. Stain: Mansarda (Blind Dog Records, 1991)

Education

M.M., University of Northern Iowa, jazz pedagogy, 2005 (summa cum laude)
B.M., Berklee College of Music, jazz composition, 1994 (magna cum laude)
University of Belgrade, biology, 1987–1990

In Their Own Words

"I would like if students would come away not scared to take risks. The sooner you learn that it is OK to take a risk and possibly fail, you will be better prepared, since perfection does not exist."

"To paraphrase the great naturalist John Muir, 'If one pulls on a single thread in nature, one will find it is attached to everything else.' I believe in the same concept in music education. The historical/theoretical/pedagogical approach is quintessential, but has much more meaning if an educator has vast professional and practical experience to draw upon."

"I was very fortunate to experience two different worlds and music cultures, and two separate educational concepts—Eastern and Western. The Eastern school taught me the importance of critical thinking, and the depth and soul of all intertwined layers that constitute music and its philosophy. The Western school gave me the knowledge of practical things and solutions that just work, and can be applied to real-life situations, which are so important for the career of a performing artist."