Grammy-Winner Victor Vanacore Conducts World Premiere of 'La Sorgente,' Based on Pope John Paul II's Poetry

Grammy Award-winning conductor/composer Victor Vanacore, at the nexus of popular and classical music for 30 years, conducts the highly anticipated world premiere of his latest work, La Sorgente, a collection of 10 neo-classical arias composed to the poetry of Pope John Paul II, on Sunday, October 8, 2017, 7:30 pm, at the John Anson Ford Theatre in Hollywood. Vanacore, an “epic” artist (Calgary Herald) whose music has been described as “ethereal” (Stage and Cinema), leads a 45-piece orchestra, 2 sopranos and 4 tenor soloists. Guest artists include soprano Lisa Eden, hailed for her “warm, velvety tone…and thrilling dynamic facility” (Washington Post), and tenor Orson Van Gay II, lauded for his “smooth as silk, equally R&B and operatic crooning” (Singerpreneur). As a conductor, pianist, composer and arranger, Vanacore has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including the Jackson Five, Natalie Cole and Ray Charles, whose only platinum album entitled “Genius Loves Company” features Vanacore’s orchestral arrangements, including the Grammy-winning “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the Los Angeles Philharmonic and St. Louis and San Francisco symphonies, to name a few. The 10 poems featured in the 90-minute La Sorgente come from Pope John Paul’s book of meditations, Trittico Romano: Meditazioni (The Roman Triptych: Meditations), widely regarded as his spiritual last testament. Vanacore’s richly orchestrated arias, both secular and sacred, recount stories from the Pope’s personal experiences in the great outdoors, of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the Old Testament. Timeless and inspiring, they illuminate the universality of man and man’s relationship to nature. Profoundly moved by the Pope’s poetry, Vanacore, in conjunction with veteran producer Kate Atkinson and longtime friend and colleague Richard Allegro (together as production company Back East Entertainment), acquired all worldwide media rights to Karol Wojtyla’s (Pope John Paul II) words in Trittico Romano: Meditazioni from the Vatican’s publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Back East Entertainment received a Los Angeles Arts Commission Grant, enabling La Sorgente, as part of John Anson Ford’s partnership program, to be premiered at the historic 1,100-seat amphitheater located in the Cahuenga Pass and one of the oldest continuously operating arts venues in Los Angeles. Tickets for La Sorgente range from $48 - $98. The John Anson Ford Theatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd E., Los Angeles, CA 90068. For tickets and information, please visit www.fordtheatres.org or call 323-461-3673. VICTOR VANACORE (composer/conductor) has served during his varied career as music conductor for the Jackson Five and collaborated with Barry Manilow and Ray Charles, for whom he worked as music director, arranger and opening act from 1990 to 2004, and whose only platinum album entitled “Genius Loves Company” features Vanacore’s orchestral arrangements, including the Grammy-winning “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with special guest Johnny Mathis. Vanacore has been a guest pops conductor with the Grand Rapids, Kansas City, Tucson, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Phoenix and St. Louis symphonies, among others, and has written and arranged music for Laguna Beach’s acclaimed Pageant of the Masters. He has also appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne, Edmonton and Vancouver symphonies and the philharmonic orchestras of Calgary, London, Belgrade and Bratislava, as well as the Hanover Pops and Mozarteum Orchestra. As a composer/arranger, Vanacore’s recent work has included the Motown-themed “Detroit Soul” for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; “America Then and Now” for the New Jersey Public Television Network; and “Spain Meets Birdland” for the Berklee College of Music’s 60th Anniversary. He also composes in collaboration with his brother David on CBS show “Survivor.” Other television credits include music for the 2005 Academy Awards show, Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice,” and “American Idol.” Vanacore has been involved with CD for Natalie Cole, Teena Marie, George Benson and Dave Koz, among others. POPE JOHN PAUL II (lyrics), born Karol Jósef Wojtyla, in Wadowice, Poland, was one of the longest reigning pontiffs in the history of the Church. He was the first Slavic pope in history, and the first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years. A steadfast peacemaker, world traveler, naturalist, and poet, he was embraced by people of all religions around the world. Pope John Paul II’s legendary qualities of warmth and wisdom and his steadfast defender of the faith brought the Church into a new millennium. LISA EDEN (soprano) has been described by Plácido Domingo as “a well rounded artist: she has a lovely voice, is an excellent actress and a dedicated colleague.” He also notes the “unusual timbre” of her voice and her “unbelievably beautiful pianissimos.” Eden’s distinguished career is gaining momentum with her recent Milan debut in the role of Violetta, as well as her Los Angeles Opera mainstage debut in the Grammy Award-winning The Ghosts of Versailles. She has appeared nationally and internationally as concert soloist and in recital at such venues as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Kennedy Center, the Cosmos Club, Strathmore Mansion, the National Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Baltimore Basilica, the Embassies of France, the Netherlands and Monaco, Liederkranz in New York, the Dean Lesher Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Harvard Club in Boston and the Stefaniensaal and Helmut-List-Halle in Graz, Austria. Her opera credits include Violetta in La Traviata, Leonora in Il Trovatore, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, with Teatro dell'Opera di Milano, Anna in Le Villi and Mélisande in Impressions of Pelleas with Opera Vivente and Die Vertraute in Elektra with The Washington National Opera. ORSON VAN GAY II (tenor) captivates audiences with his unique voice, charisma and command of the stage. He has appeared in a number of productions with LA Opera’s educational outreach touring productions, including the title role of Orpheus. In addition, he made his main stage debut when he took on the role of Bernard Curson (Cherubino) in LA Opera’s adaptation of Figaro 90210! The lyric tenor notably performed the lead role of Ben in Todd Goodman’s opera Night of the Living Dead the Opera at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Pennsylvania, as well. Upon his return to the West Coast, he sang the haunting role of Orlando in the nationally acclaimed production of Hopscotch with the Los Angeles-based company The Industry. He subsequently took on the role of the dashing outlaw Dick Johnson in LA Opera’s touring production of The Prospector. After a successful three-week premiere of Open Door Days at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Van Gay was featured in the LA Opera’s 2017 touring production of Puccini Opera Tales, which was presented throughout the greater Los Angeles area. KATE ATKINSON (producer) has created, developed and produced documentaries, narrative films and live stage productions. In addition to conceiving, co-writing and producing “Part of the Plan,” an original musical featuring the songbook of Dan Fogelberg, which opens in September at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Atkinson also served as a producer of LA’s smash hit musical entitled “Boomermania,” which ran in Los Angeles for eight months at the El Portal Theater and the Noho Arts Center. Her film credits include producing a quirky comedy starring James Cromwell and a psychological thriller starring True Grit’s Paul Rae. Last year, she produced a romantic comedy called “The Ones,” in which she also played a leading role. Previously, she produced several award-winning short films, a feature-length comedy and a documentary. Her first film, a documentary entitled “Extra: In the Background of a Dream,” has been distributed both in the U.S. and internationally, and its soundtrack has been regularly featured on NPR’s This American Life. Holding an MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg School of Management in Marketing, Finance, and International Business, as well as undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Education, Atkinson is an active member of Women In Film, The Hollywood Film Society and the Screen Actors Guild.