UNCSA Media to Release Vesna Duo’s POPTIMISM

Reimagining Pop, Rock, and Indie for Piano and Percussion

February 10, 2026

National media contact: Amanda Sweet, Bucklesweet, 347-564-3371, amanda@bucklesweet.com

UNCSA media contact: Katherine E. Johnson, 336-770-1402, johnsonka@uncsa.edu

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—UNCSA Media will release Poptimism, a new EP by Vesna Duothat reimagines pop, rock, and indie favorites for piano and percussion on March 1, 2026.

Conceived as a mixtape of music that has lived in their headphones for several decades, Poptimism reflects the shared listening history of Vesna Duo members Dr. Liana Pailodze Harron (piano) and UNCSA School of Music faculty member Dr. Ksenija Komljenovic (percussion). The EP features inventive reinterpretations of songs by Sting, Hozier, Soundgarden, Beyoncé, Dean Lewis, and Rihanna—familiar repertoire reframed through a vivid acoustic lens.

"We could talk for ages about these. From feeling pumped, to invincible, to exploring loneliness and heartbreak, these songs have been a soundtrack of our lives for the past 3 decades,” said Komljenovic.

“We’ve danced to these songs, cried to them, worked out and headbanged to them - and even found comfort in hospital rooms."

Arranged by Miloš Branisavljevic, the works on Poptimism are not replicas of the originals, but creative reconstructions shaped specifically for piano and percussion. Across the EP, listeners encounter a wide palette of colors and techniques, from blanketed vibraphone and prepared piano to the use of extended textures. The writing moves fluidly between intimacy and concerto-scale energy, inviting audiences to hear familiar music in entirely new ways.

 

POPTIMISM Track List

• Diamonds – Rihanna
• With You – Dean Lewis
• Shape of My Heart – Sting
• Take Me to Church – Hozier
• Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
• Run the World (Girls) – Beyoncé

 

About Vesna Duo

Vesna Duo devotes its passion to bringing new and reimagined works to life. Their performances span a fiery arrangement of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring to re-envisioned works by Avishai Cohen, Arvo Pärt, J. S. Bach, and Astor Piazzolla.

Their album Vesna Duo Presents: The Rite of Spring (arranged for marimba and piano) garnered rave reviews for its bold and imaginative reworking of Stravinsky’s landmark score. The Wall Street Journal praised the recording as “a fresh perspective on a masterpiece... smashingly effective,” while NPR described it as “a masterclass in performative focus, as well as an exquisite demonstration of musician chemistry... impressive, unexpected, whimsical, and beautifully captured.”

Hailing from the Republic of Georgia and Serbia, Dr. Liana Pailodze Harron (piano) and Dr. Ksenija Komljenovic (percussion) embrace their dynamic backgrounds while exploring a wide range of musical traditions, cultures, and styles. Between them, they share multiple international solo and chamber music awards.

 

About Miloš Branisavljevic

Miloš Branisavljevic is a percussionist, vibraphonist, composer, and arranger, and a full-scholarship graduate of Berklee College of Music, where he received the “Most Active Drummer” award. He has collaborated with artists including Phil Wilson, performed in projects such as the Zildjian Mega Drum Project and with Dream Theater at the Boston Opera House. He has worked across the U.S. and Europe as a performer, arranger, conductor, and Head of Percussion for the United Nations Orchestra. Miloš's recordings include work with the Phil Wilson Rainbow Big Band and the Greg Hopkins Concert Jazz Orchestra. He is the founder of the Miloš Branisavljevic Quartet and co-founder of the New York–based band V3. Miloš performs regularly with leading Serbian classical institutions, including the Belgrade Philharmonic and National Theatre Opera.

 

About UNCSA Media

UNCSA Media is a mission-driven media publishing arm that features the creative projects of faculty and alumni from UNCSA across all disciplines and offers curricular opportunities for students to gain practical career skills in intellectual property and entrepreneurship. With two to three releases per year, UNCSA Media will feature music, film and video, plays, dance, and more, leveraging the conservatory’s five disciplines on one campus and its extensive worldwide network of talented alumni and faculty. UNCSA launched UNCSA Media in September 2023 with the release of “Windows,” a contemporary classical recording featuring UNCSA faculty members performing works by Valerie Coleman, Jessie Montgomery and Reena Esmail, as well as a world premiere commission by Kamala Sankaram, followed by alumna and singer/songwriter Cashavelly’s “Meditation Through Gunfire” in October 2024, and Stravinsky’s “Firebird Ballet Suite” with the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra in May 2025, and Zéphryos Winds’ “Desert Pass” featuring works Reena Esmail, David Sanford and UNCSA alum Tyson Gholston Davis in June 2025. 

UNCSA Media is made possible with funding and programmatic support by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

For more information about “Poptimism” and other releases, visit: www.uncsa.edu/uncsa-media

 

About UNCSA

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a top-ranked artsconservatory and America’s first state-supported arts school. The nation’s only public university of five arts disciplines on one campus, UNCSA prepares emerging artists forcareers in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music at the undergraduate through post-graduate levels, as well as through a specialized high school with free tuition for in-state residents. UNCSA provides industry-leading instruction in an inclusive environment where students are encouraged to leverage the arts as a mechanism for change. Interdisciplinary opportunities arising from the unique arts ecosystem on campus at UNCSA prepare artists to enter an evolving global arts and entertainment industry. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina System when it was formed in 1972.

For more information,visit www.uncsa.edu.

 

About The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts

The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts was established in 1993 to strengthen the arts by initiating and incubating new ideas within the various constituencies and settings of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). By leveraging the extraordinary talents and creative energies of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to bring distinction to UNCSA, the Kenan Institute acts as a springboard to the broader creative community. For more information visitwww.uncsa.edu/kenan.

 

For review copies and press inquiries, contact:

Amanda Sweet – Bucklesweet | amanda@bucklesweet.com | 347-564-3371

Katherine Johnson – UNCSA Media | johnsonka@uncsa.edu | 336-770-1402

 

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