Vanacore Brothers Luncheon – September 15, 2010

David  Vanacore

Every week, 100 million people hear David Vanacore’s music. Whether it is his mesmerizing tribal council music or his tension filled boardroom music, most people don’t know him by name. David is the man behind the music for successful shows such as Survivor, The Apprentice, American Chopper, Dirty Jobs, Big Brother, Hell’s Kitchen, The Marriage Ref, Jersey Shore and Wipeout.

David comes from a very musical family and began his musical journey at the age of 7 studying piano. For years, David was a studio session pianist/keyboardist and toured with Cher among many other well-known artists. A chance meeting with famed television composer, Mike Post, led to an offer as his studio keyboard player. That was David’s introduction into the television industry and the rest is history.

Television music industry insiders dubbed David as “The King of Reality” for his creativity in crafting this new genre of music. Currently working on the 20th season of Survivor and the 9th season of Celebrity Apprentice, David is in constant demand and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He has assembled a stellar team of composers, editors, musicians, engineers and producers at his state-of-the-art studios in Valencia, CA. Six years ago, David had the honor of working with Ray Charles on his “Genius Loves Company” album where his brother, composer and orchestrator Victor Vanacore, won his first Grammy!

Victor Vanacore

Grammy Award winner Victor Vanacore has been at the nexus of popular music for more than 25 years. Widely respected for his versatility as a conductor, pianist, composer and arranger — his latest musical incarnation is that of symphony pops conductor. Recent/upcoming engagements include Grand Rapids, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Phoenix and St. Louis Symphonies. Previously? Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston and San Francisco Symphonies plus many abroad.

He served as conductor, keyboardist and musical arranger for the Jackson Five as well as conductor and arranger for the Fifth Dimension. Not long afterward, Johnny Mathis hired him as musical director for his world tour. He joined Barry Manilow for 6 years in the same capacity, receiving multiple album credits including “The Greatest Hits.” More recent recording projects have included collaborations with Natalie Cole, Teena Marie, George Benson and Dave Koz.

Additionally, he enjoyed a close ongoing relationship with Ray Charles, whom he met in 1990. They remained colleagues and friends until Mr. Charles’ passing in 2004, serving as musical director, arranger, and opening act. Ray Charles’ only platinum album entitled “Genius Loves Company” features Victor’s orchestral arrangements, including the Grammy-winning “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with special guest Johnny Mathis.  And more recently, has had multiple television credits added to his resume from “American Idol” to “The Apprentice”.

The brothers will talk about their life’s journey getting to where they are now …working together on the hit CBS show “Survivor”  and how it is otherwise working as siblings in this business,