Hillary Schave
Sandra Gajic, the first female president and CEO of Overture Center for the Arts, has died after a seven-month battle with cancer, according to a press release from the arts center.
“Surrounded by her children, Ivana and Vedran, daughter-in-law, Janin, and extended family and friends, Gajic passed away while being treated at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg,” writes Gary Kohn, director of public relations.
Gajic, 66, immigrated with her young children from the former Yugoslavia and worked her way through the ranks of numerous arts organizations before being hired in 2018 to replace Ted DeDee. She was a lifelong opera and music fan who holds degrees in piano and economics from the University of Belgrade.
In February, when I profiled her for Isthmus, she expressed big ambitions for the arts center, and was especially interested in expanding outreach and international programming to “bring the world to Overture.”
