About Us

Grammy Award Winner Victor Vanacore has been at the nexus of popular music for the past 25 years. Born into a family of six in New Haven, Connecticut, Vanacore began learning the piano at six years old. As he progressed, he began to play for others, realizing how good he felt watching his audience enjoy his performance. He wrote his first composition at age 8; it was called The Wind, and with it he began his life-long fascination with music.

High school created an environment where Vanacore learned to stretch his talents further. While mastering the saxophone and clarinet in his high school's band, he also gained some unique opportunities (after receiving permission from the state) playing the piano in nightclubs, shows, and theaters. There he received valuable experience accompanying opera singers, Broadway acts, and celebrities.

Vanacore joined the Navy after graduation from high school, and was immediately accepted into the Navy Band. While in the Navy band, he met several graduates of the Berklee College of Music, a renowned training ground for jazz musicians. Their influence led him to enroll, and receive a degree from Berklee. In 2006 Vanacore received the Alumnus Recognition Award from the Berklee College of music as “One of the top 50 Alumni“. Vanacore has studied orchestration with Dr. Albert Harris, Sidney Fine, Earle Hagen, William Maloof and Herb Pomeroy and attended conducting master classes with Jeronimus Kacinskas, former Musical Director of the Vilnius Philharmonic in Vilnius, Lithuania.

In 1974, Vanacore moved to Los Angeles where he joined the Jackson Five as a keyboardist and musical arranger. A year later the band's conductor had an emergency; Vanacore was asked to fill in, and after his performance that night, he became the Jackson's permanent conductor and arranger.

Vanacore's star rose, and after the end of the Jackson Five tour, he signed with the Fifth Dimension, serving as conductor and arranger for two years. Johnny Mathis heard of Vanacore's talent, and hired him as the Musical Director for his world tour. This musical relationship also lasted for two years. He then joined Barry Manilow for six years in the same capacity, and received six album credits, including "If I Should Love Again," "Barry Live in Britain," "Barry," and "The Greatest Hits."

Victor Vanacore valued a close ongoing relationship with the musical icon Ray Charles, whom he met in 1990, until Charles’ passing in 2004. Vanacore served as Musical Director, Arranger, and Opening Act for Mr. Charles. Ray Charles’ only platinum CD entitled, “ Genius Loves Company” features Victor Vanacore’s 80 piece Grammy Award winning orchestral arrangements.

In addition to his musical associations with Celebrity vocalists, Vanacore enjoys a career as a Pops Conductor with symphony orchestras worldwide. His recent appearance as conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl garnered broad critical acclaim.

Recently, Victor has been working as a composer in conjunction with his brother David on the critically acclaimed hit CBS show “Survivor.” In addition he is composing music for Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" and his arrangements were also heard on the 2005 Academy Awards show assisting his good friend Bill Conti. Vanacore also arranges music for American Idol and recently celebrated his 13th year as composer in residence for the iconic Pageant of The Masters in Laguna Beach, California.

Vanacore collaborated in 2005 with Producer Phil Ramone arranging arias and special crossover material for Italian tenor Alessandro Safina and J Records for Executive Producer Clive Davis.

Most recently in 2006 Victor Vanacore composed arrangements for the new Symphony Orchestra CD of saxophonist Dave Koz. In addition he arranged new material for the recent album of soul legend Teena Marie. In 2007 at the request of Maestro Placido Domingo Vanacore composed original neoclassical music based on the texts of Pope John Paul II.

Recent symphonic commissions by Vanacore include “Detroit Soul” commissioned by the Detroit Symphony featuring Motown themes and “America Then And Now” for New Jersey Public Television Network and "Spain Meets Birdland" for the Berklee College of Music 60th anniversary.

In 2008 Victor arranged the centerpiece arrangement of "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" for Natalie Cole's new CD in addition to writing various charts for the new George Benson Album, "Songs and Stories" produced by Marcus Miller.

Victor A. Vanacore is a member of ASCAP, AFTRA, the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, The Society of Composers and Lyricists and the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers.

Vanacore lives in Granada Hills, California, and enjoys a very close relationship with his family. His hobbies include sailing, golf, scuba diving and cooking pizza in his outdoor ovens.


For more, visit: https://victorvanacore.com/

Welcome to our Master List!

Here you can find a complete list of Award-Winning arrangements available for rental from Colonial Road Music. Please click on the title(s) to listen to an edited audio sample, or contact us to view a perusal score.

For complete audio samples, please email us at info@colonialroadmusic.com or call  818-363-1550 and Mp3 samples will be provided via email.

Contact & Rental Information  

info@colonialroadmusic.com
818-363-1550

If you are ready to order rentals for
an upcoming event, please email us at info@colonialroadmusic.com or call us at 818-363-1550 to start the process.

These arrangements are for rental only and may not be duplicated except to create extra parts for performance on the specific rental project; those duplicates must be returned with rental parts. Purchaser is responsible for shipping of rental music.

The synthesizers' mock ups are for you to get an idea of how these arrangements sound and the variety of material available. In addition to Pops classics, you will find a whole new           selection of contemporary music, which is not generally available but very germane to your Pops audience.

The only way to make these samples come to life is with your live orchestra. When you rent from Colonial Road Music, each arrangement you rent will come with a link to a complete audio file of the arrangement.  Your conductor and orchestra members will be able to utilize these samples for style and artistic interpretations. This is especially  important for rhythm section and lead trumpet decisions. We have had many requests from rhythm section players once they receive their practice parts, and we are happy to save rehearsal time for you.

The rental costs contained herein are a per service cost. They are negotiable for multiple performances and/or multiple rentals.

Victor Vanacore also accepts commissions to write to your needs. Contact us at info@colonialroadmusic.com to see how that works.

Maestro Vanacore is also active as a Symphony Pops Conductor and Pianist and is available for a performance with your orchestra.

All arrangements and compositions are by Victor A. Vanacore.

"Victor Vanacore's pops charts bring out the best from your orchestra. His sophisticated arrangements add the advanced harmonies, energetic rhythms and clever choices of instrumentation that give a truly professional sound to each song. At my most recent Swing concert with the St. Louis Philharmonic, the audience gave us a standing ovation after hearing Victor's arrangement of "In The Mood", the first time in 20 years of pops concerts this has occurred in the middle of a program. The mixture of Big Band and symphonic elements was irresistible and incredibly effective. Bravo, Victor!"


Robert Hart Baker, Conductor, St. Louis Philharmonic

"Just wanted to let you know, as soon as I returned home from the concert, that the audience was screaming for the King of Pop. Everyone loved it. It was a challenging piece to play and really fun too. Never boring, just really well written and everyone went nuts for it. You should have heard the crowd.....wow.....No problems with any parts. Just really bookin'."

Laurien Jones, Librarian, California Symphony

“Victor Vanacore worked with us in Charlotte and I recommend him without reservation. His charts were just what we needed. Highly cinematic. He gets it. Drop the light classical and give Victor a test drive. His charts are excellent and the addition of his conducting adds a spark to the evening. Our most complete pops show in years. After the Vanacore show there was a buzz outside the hall. Board members remarked that friends were contacting them about what a great evening they had and how exciting the orchestra sounded. Victor’s understanding and insights into the cinematic use of orchestration breathes life and excitement into the the concert hall, audiences and players alike. His charts are genuine, hip, cool and draw the audience into the show and empower the orchestra to entertain across the lights. This is the sound of the American Pops Orchestra as it should be heard in the 21st century. Real estate is location, locaton, location. Orchestra Pops is presentation, presentation, presentation. Victor Vanacore’s arrangements present the orchestra in a fresh, effective, enthusiastic, authentically creative palette of variations and colors."

David Mills, Librarian, Charlotte Symphony, Aspen Music Festival

"Victor Vanacore is one of the most innovative and commanding symphonic arrangers I have seen in a long, long time. He understands the needs of the pops orchestra and writes brilliant and creative arrangements for every type of concert setting. Every time I listen to one of his arrangements I am struck by how unique and colorful his work is. All orchestras should know about him!"

Karen M. Smith, Librarian, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Disney Music Preparation, Personal Librarian to John Williams, Lalo Schifrin and Lee Holdridge

"Thank you for your excellent arrangement (Disco at The Pops). We enjoyed it very much!"

Karen Peters, Librarian, Orlando Philharmonic

"The Lansing Symphony was fortunate to have Victor Vanacore and his Hot Hot Hot Pops show as part of our 2008-2009 season. The arrangements were outstanding, authentic, entertaining yet very playable for the orchestra."

David S. Gross, Executive Director, Lansing Symphony

“Thank you for your excellent arrangement (Disco at The Pops). We enjoyed it very much!”—Karen Peters, Librarian, Orlando Philharmonic

“The arranger, Victor Vanacore, does these amazing, detailed demos of his charts, and when I heard it, I was knocked out, too.”—
John Burk, Executive Producer, Concord Records

“His arrangements were universally acknowledged by the musicians as being particularly good.”—Spokesman Review

“Victor Vanacore knows the power of music.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel