Vera has appeared in chamber and solo recitals throughout the United States, Russia, China, and South Korea. She has performed with Camerata Pacifica, Opera Santa Barbara, and Santa Ynez Master Chorale and has served as a pianist at the renowned vocal studios of Marilyn Horne, Marlena Malas, and Carlos Serrano; the violin studio of Yuval Yaron; the Manhattan School of Music; the Collegiate School in New York; the Hawaii Performing Art Festival; the Brevard Music Festival; and the Ojai Youth Opera. She was a recipient of a Stern fellowship to study with eminent pianist Martin Katz at SongFest and a two-time, first prize recipient for the John E. Profant Foundation award. 

 

Vera's education includes a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, as a merit scholarship recipient under the tutelage of Kenneth Merrill. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was recruited by pioneer collaborative piano pedagogue Anne Epperson with Excellence-at-Entrance Scholarship as the first undergraduate student accepted to study both in collaborative piano and solo piano. She was privileged to study solo piano with distinguished pianist and teacher Dr. Charles Asche, who has become her mentor and supporter.

 

In great demand as a piano pedagogue, Vera's students consistently receive top honors in festivals and competitions. She is a member of Music Teachers' Association of California. Previously she was a piano faculty member at Westmont College in Santa Barbara and Ojai Youth Opera. 

 

She is a certified yoga instructor and ongoing student of Ayurveda and Transcendental Meditation. Vera is proud to be Korea’s national abacus champion!