When Vera was in her senior year of high school, the Cottonwood High Symphony Orchestra was in their regional competition with other high school orchestras. The adjudicator was Robert C. Bowden, the distinguished conductor of the Mormon Youth Symphony. After the performance he invited Vera to come tryout for his symphony. This she did and was in that organization for many years. She had also picked up the English horn and this skill was in high demand. Also in high school Vera was in the prestigious Jazz Band and learned to play the saxophone. They played one song called Five Brothers. Mr. Frohm, the director, announced it as “Five Brothers and a Sister” since their were six saxophones and all were guys except Vera. She was also singing in Concert Choir and the Madrigals and she took voice lessons.
Vera went on to Brigham Young University on a music scholarship. She played in the Wind Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestra, went on a one-month, goodwill tour of mainland China, and graduated with a bachelors degree in Oboe Performance. In the Philharmonic Orchestra there was one music professor and resident composer who would write orchestra parts just for Vera to play. He bragged to other musicians how Vera could play very high oboe parts. When Vera went on her mission to South Korea, she got permission from her mission president to take along her oboe. She was very well known by the members of the Church there and entertained them with her music.
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