Dimitrije Vasiljevic

Dimitrije Vasiljević is an award-winning jazz pianist and composer based in Richmond, VA, originally hailing from Serbia. His music gracefully bridges the vibrant energy of American jazz with the intricate nuances of European and Balkan jazz. Tony Germain of Berklee College of Music has praised him as “a powerful modern improviser and a strong jazz player with an impressive vocabulary.” Similarly, his compositions are described by All About Jazz as “iridescent and captivating, a cascade of weaving twists and turns.”

In terms of education, Vasiljević boasts Bachelor’s degrees from both Berklee College of Music in Boston and the University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. He pursued his Master’s at NYU Steinhardt in New York City and later achieved a DMA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to taking on the mantle of Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, Vasiljević enriched the faculties at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, NYU Steinhardt in New York, and UIUC in Champaign, IL.

Throughout his career, Vasiljević has graced iconic stages, including Carnegie Hall, the United Nations Headquarters, the Kennedy Center, Montreux Palace, and the Krannert Center. His schedule is consistently filled with performances across the U.S. and Europe, both solo and with his jazz quartet.

Over the years, Vasiljević has achieved a plethora of accolades. Notably, in 2008, he secured both the third jury prize and the audience award at the esteemed Montreux Solo Jazz Piano Competition in Switzerland. The Tesla Science Foundation acknowledged his musical prowess in 2014, by awarding him a Recognition of Achievement for his contribution in promoting the life and legacy of Nikola Tesla through Music. His accolade journey continued in 2015 when he became a finalist in the Luminarts Jazz Competition in Chicago and the Kate Neal Kinley
Memorial Fellowship competition. At Berklee, he was honored with the Jazz Performance Award and the Piano Department Achievement Award. Additionally, while at UIUC, he earned the Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship.

In collaboration, Vasiljević has shared stages with jazz virtuosos such as Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Charles “Chip” McNeill, Marko Djordjevic and Brad Shepik. With four leading albums to his credit, his recent endeavor, Accidental Nomad, garnered attention, representing Ropeadope Records in four categories at the 2019 Grammy Award Nominations.

Beyond his commendable performance and teaching career, Vasiljević exhibits prowess in film score composition, boasting scores for awarded European documentaries like There Has to Be More Than This, Reconciliation, and Tierra Utopia. He is also a co-founder of Music Defying Boundaries, a nonprofit championing experimental and improvised music. Vasiljević also dedicated five years as a faculty member for the Blue Mountain Festival summer music camps in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Currently associated with Ropeadope Records as a recording artist and Eastlight Artist Management, he persistently dazzles audiences in both the U.S. and Europe.