Bill Vanaver

Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director/Performer

Well known musician and symphonic composer, Bill has been playing to audiences throughout the world for the past 60 years. He is known for his stellar instrumental work on five-string banjo as well as myriad other folk instruments. With his vast knowledge of traditional song and musical styles, Bill performed at the Newport and the Philadelphia Folk Festivals.

Bill has taught World Dance and Music at Bard and Skidmore Colleges. Since 1985, he has brought his American and World Music and Dance into the classroom as a lead Teaching Artist with The Vanaver Caravan.

He has worked closely with students as well as classroom and music teachers to broaden their multi-cultural music, song and movement repertoire. Bill's varied arrangements from swing to bluegrass and beyond on "Pastures of Plenty", (an album of Woody Guthrie's American folk songs) won WKZE's Best Independently Produced Folk Album of the Year Award in the year 2000.