Instructors

Daniella Vranesevic

Dance Director

A native to the Pittsburgh area, Daniella’s passion for dance and music started at a very young age. She participated in various junior tamburitzan ensembles growing up including: AVALA Folklore Ensemble, St. Nicholas Junior Tamburitzans, Srbadija Folklore Ensemble, and of course The Junior Tamburitzans of Duquesne! Daniella was blessed to have parents and family who also grew up in folklore and helped guide her to follow down the same path. Upon graduation, she continued perpetuating her Eastern European culture as a member of the Duquesne University Tamburitzans, where she obtained her Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology. She has assisted, taught, and choreographed for a few junior groups in the Pittsburgh area, such as the St. Nicholas Junior Tamburitzans, The Junior Tamburitzans of Duquesne, Folklore Ensemble Tanac, and Jedinstvo Folklore Group. Currently, she performs with 2 adult folklore groups in the area: Javor Pittsburgh, and LJELJO Folklore Ensemble, where she serves on both non-profit boards of directors and assists as dance director. Daniella is excited for the opportunity to teach JTD this year and portray her talents and passion to the younger generations.

Daniella resides in Hampton Township with her husband and their two children Dejan and Nikolija. They are active members in their Serbian Orthodox Church in Monroeville, participating in their church choir board and directing on Sundays. Daniella works as a speech-language pathologist at North Allegheny School District. She is also a special education compliance specialist and speech pathology supervisor for Soliant Health.

Nikola Vranesevic

Musical Director

Nikola began teaching JTD in 2011. His tamburitzan career started when he became a member of the Junior Tamburitzans of Duquesne at the age of eight. Nikola graduated from Duquesne University in 2013 where he obtained a degree in Music Education and was a member of the renowned Duquesne University Tamburitzans where he was primarily a musician playing a variety of instruments. Prior to JTD, Nikola was the music director for Ensemble Srbadija and assistant music director for Folklore Ensemble Hrvatski Tanac. In the summer of 2010, Nikola was selected to be the mass performance director for the SFFNA Folklore Festival and was a recipient of the Lou Cavic Founder’s Award presented by the Tamburitza Association of America in 2014, and is currently a board member for the Tamburitza Association of America. Nikola is employed by the North Hills School District where he serves as Orchestra Director, teaching grades 6 12. Nikola is also a member of T.S. Ponoc and Orkestar Pobeda who perform for ethnic social events. Nikola resides in Allison Park with his wife, Daniella, and their two children Dejan and Nikolija.