Anika Veda (she/her/hers)

Researcher and Writer

Anika Veda is a flutist and high school student passionate about furthering diversity in the arts. She is a fellow of the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, an organization committed to helping young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds pursue careers in classical music. Anika is a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, and plays in the Oberon Wind Quintet. She is a student of Jennifer Gunn and Hideko Amano.

As a soloist, Anika has performed at acclaimed venues such as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall and Chicago Symphony Center. In 2020, she performed the Ibert Flute Concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago as a winner of the DePaul Concerto Competition. She was the winner of the 2020 CYSO Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, and was slated to perform a concerto with them before the pandemic. Anika performed a solo recital for 98.7 WFMT’s Introductions Radio Show; and as a part of the Young Steinway Concert Series. She was also named a finalist for NPR’s From the Top. Anika has received awards in the Crain-Maling CSO Young Artists Competition (2019), the Society of American Musicians Competition (2021, 2019), the American Protégé Music Talent Competition (2019), the ENKOR International Music Competition (2019), the Great Composers Concert Series (2019), and the Granquist Competition (2017).

A camp scholarship awardee at the CSO Young Artist Competition, Anika attended Interlochen Arts Camp in Summer 2019, and Curtis Summerfest in 2020. She has also played in the ILMEA District 7 Band, and the Honor Band at the ILMEA All-State Festival. Anika has had the opportunity to perform in classes for many renowned flutists such as Sir James Galway, Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, Emma Gerstein, Tara Helen O’Connor, Sonora Slocum, Brandon Patrick George, and Mimi Stillman.

Anika is a co-founder of Sharing The Stand, a non-profit that links musical mentors and young musicians across the globe. She has been studying Carnatic vocal music of the Indian classical tradition for 12 years, and is proficient in the Indian bamboo flute.