Vanessa Perica

Vanessa Perica is a Composer, Arranger, Conductor based in Melbourne, Australia.

Originally hailing from Perth, Vanessa majored in Jazz Composition and Arranging at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Upon completion of her Bachelor degree in 2003, she was awarded the prestigious Bob Wyllie Scholarship for ‘Most Outstanding Graduating Jazz Student.’ Other recipients of this honour include Mat Jodrell, Linda May Han Oh, Troy Roberts and Ben Vanderwal. Her mentor was the legendary Graeme Lyall AM.

Recent career highlights include both national and international recognition. In 2015, Vanessa led the Perth Jazz Society Big Band through a set of her original compositions at the Perth International Jazz Festival. In 2018, her composition ‘Dance of the Zinfandels’ was a finalist in the Anonimus Big Band International Composition Competition. Selected by Guillermo Klein, it was performed live in front of a jury in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In June 2019, under her direction, Vanessa’s compositions were featured at the Sydney Con International Jazz Festival, performed by the Sydney Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra to critical acclaim.

In this same year, Vanessa was a recipient of an Australia Council grant to record her debut album. The Vanessa Perica Orchestra (VPO) features an all-star lineup including Julien Wilson, Mat Jodrell, Jamie Oehlers, Andrea Keller, Sam Anning, Carl Mackey, Jordan Murray, Ross Irwin, Phil Noy and Ben Vanderwal. Recorded in January 2019, the album entitled ’Love is a Temporary Madness’ has now been released, reaching as high as number 3 on the ARIA charts and number 1 on the AIR Independent charts. It is also a nominee for Best Jazz Album in the Music Victoria Awards.