Biography

It was love at first sight when Lada was introduced to the drums; this love led her to diligently prepare for the entrance exam as a Jazz scholar under the teaching and mentoring of renowned drum educators: Njikoš and Robert Jambrušić at the “Pop – Rock Academy” in Zagreb, Croatia. In a few short years, she completed the programs that preceded passing the entrance exam at the Jazz University in Graz, Austria (Kunstuniversität Graz) where she dedicated four years to completing the Bachelor of Jazz Drums Performance Program under the instruction of Howard Curtis in 2010. Throughout this four-year journey, Lada had an opportunity to meet, work, and perform with influential Jazz musicians such as Billy Hart, Jeff Ballard, Bill Stewart, Jimmy Cobb, Don Menza, Fay Claassen, Curtis Fuller, John Hollenbeck, Benny Golson, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, and Joe LaBarbera.

During this time, she was able to engage in experimental performance sessions that challenged and refined her understanding of what was possible with regards to musical formations, styles, and arrangements such as the diversity amongst Trios, Gospel Bands, as well as Big Bands throughout Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria.

As a participant of multiple Summer Jazz Schools and workshops in Grožnjan (Croatia) and Kranj (Slovenia), Lada worked alongside Primož Grašič, Mario Mavrin, Howard Curtis, Emil Spanyi, Cristophe Bras, Ewald Oberleitner, Ante Gelo, Sigi Feigl, Carlos Werneck, and Louis Bonilla; this was also where she went on to meet someone who became a significant mentor and influence to her musical career: the great Croatian vibraphone player, Boško Petrović. With notable support through Boško’s leadership, she was actively performing throughout Croatia and eventually recorded a CD with other scholars under Boško’s mentorship. This CD was titled “Sky Over Grožnjan,” (2009) and was subsequently published by the local label “Croatia Records.”

In 2009, Lada went on to compete in one of the International Summer Drum Workshops where she was able to work with Horazio “El Negro” Hernandez, Bill Bruford, Pete Lockett, and Mike Haid. Working with this renowned panel of judges led her to become a semi-finalist for the “Drummers Collective” scholarship in New York.

In 2011, Lada became a member of the Jazz Quartet “Chocolate Disaster.” It was through this collaboration, where she performed, recorded, and toured for two years throughout Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, and Austria. Furthermore, she was an initiator, organizer, and performer of two successful charity concerts in Croatia with the same band. The collaboration went on to perform and tour multiple Jazz Festivals in the region where the group was recognized as “Musicians of the Month” in Graz, (February 2013; Graz, Austria). After recording first their album in 2012, they were accepted as semi-finalists to the Bucharest Jazz Competition in Romania the following year; after collaboration with the famous Swedish singer, Anna Sise, in Germany, she quit the band in early 2014.

In 2014, Lada started a new project under her personal leadership, self-titled, the “Lada Obradovic Project.” After graduation in Graz, she moved to Switzerland for a short period and then subsequently moved to France where she continued her project with new musicians. In early 2015, she received new offers to participate and perform theatrical pieces in Lausanne, Rennens and in Bern, Switzerland. This same year, Lada passed the entrance exam at University of Bern (Hochschule der Künste Bern) where she continued her Masters in Performance Jazz Drum studies with her mentors Dejan Terzić and Django Bates.

Subsequently in 2016, Lada had an opportunity to participate in a few Master Classes alongside talented musicians such as Allison Miller and Malcolm Braff. She also became a finalist of an international female drums competition in California where she competed with her original project composition.

That same year, Lada became a member of David Tixier Trio with which she performs with around Europe. In July 2016, they were accepted as finalists in the “Vannes Jazz Competition” at the “Jazz en Ville Festival” in Vannes, France; in August of 2016, the Trio went on to become finalists in the "Jazz Avenir" competition in the "Jazz En Baie" festival that took place in Mont St. Michel, France. During the International Matmut Jazz Orchestra Price semi-finalist selection round, the David Tixier Trio was selected as top fifteen amongst 403 other international bands. The group ended the year as finalists in the international online competition "7 Virtual Jazz Clubs" as well as semi-finalists in the popular Belgian "Be-Jazz Competition."

During the "Vannes Jazz Festival” in July of 2016, Lada performed for the first time with her newly formed duo: “Obradovic - Tixier Duo”. Within a year and a half, the duo performed in more than 15 countries; and in October of 2017, they recorded their first EP of 5 tracks in Fondation l’Abri, Geneva, Switzerland. Year 2018 they won the second place in international drumming competition “Hit Like A Girl”, in California,  USA with one of Lada's personal compositions. The same year they performed in finals of Jazz competitions “Jazz A Vienne”, “Jazz au Phare” and "Colmar Jazz festival" and won the first prizes in all three competition. With their new producers Jazz À Vienne and Cristal Records they recorded a new 8 tracks CD released by Naim Record and 2 tracks vinyl released by Cristal Records, in May 2019. In June 2019 "Obradovic-Tixier Duo" won the first price of 42nd edition of "La Défense Jazz Festival", where Lada got unanimously the first price in the category "the best soloist" of the competition. 

In 2016, she signed an endorsement contract with the British handmade drums company, "Bay Custom Drums” as well as a contract with the American company “TRX Cymbals.” Through Lada’s personal request TRX Cymbals created and produced handmade, Turkish cymbals as a prototype for their first jazz series (CLS series).

In November 2017, she recorded an album called “Universal Citizen” with David Tixier Trio as well as the talented American musicians, Mike Moreno (guitar) and Sachal Vasandani (voice) in The Bunker Studio in New York City. In December 2017, under Swiss Radio and Television Production and sponsorship of Swiss foundations "ABPI" and "Die Mobiliar", Lada recorded her first album: "The Portrait Of A Pregnant Bumblebee”. Both projects signed with the German Record Label "Neuklang”. Editing, mixing, and mastering was done by lead drummer, Ziv Ravitz.

Later on throughout 2017, her project the "Lada Obradovic Project" was chosen as a top five finalist for the "Made in New York" Jazz Competition as well as finishing as top six in the Swiss Jazz Competition, "ZKB Jazzpreis.” In October, the project performed as headliners in the large festival on the Greek Island Syros through the sponsorship of the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens.

In 2018 Lada started a charity project realized with the collaboration of the Swiss foundation "Terrévent". The Croatian shoes company "Borovo" produced a limited edition of Lada’s personal designed Startas shoes that will be sold in order to provide some financial support for an institution for disabled people in Colmar, France, "Institut Saint Joseph, Association Adèle de Glaubitz", and for the purpose of the reconstruction of the only jazz club in Philippines, "Tago Jazz Cafe". With the generous help of the foundation Terrévent, the project "StartAs You Are" was born in November 2018.

Throughout her career, Lada has performed in international regions such as Spain, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, Greece, Latvia, Finland, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, Slovenia, Croatia, Uruguay, Philippines, and the United States of America.