Vance Okraszewski
musician: drummer/percussionist
Vance Okraszewski is a freelance Chicago based drummer and percussionist. Since 1998 he has made a living playing music in a wide variety of settings, ranging from commercial studio work, cover bands, musical theatre and pit orchestra work, jazz projects and original rock groups, to orchestral percussion performance and accompaniment for modern dance. As a drum set artist, he has toured nationally with Lynda Carter, Gary Sinise and the Lt Dan Band, Lucy Lawless, Don Rickles and Angela Ingersoll. As a theatre musician, he has played drums and percussion on Grease, A Chorus Line, Evita, Holiday Inn, The Little Mermaid, The King and I, Skates: The Musical, Mama Mia, Fiddler On The Roof, Guys and Dolls, Cinderella, South Pacific, Elf: The Musical, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, 42nd Street, White Christmas, Chicago, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Matilda, The Buddy Holly Story, Little Shop of Horrors, Saturday Night Fever, Rock of Ages, The Wizard of Oz, Million Dollar Quartet, Company, Madagascar, Oklahoma, Boys From Syracuse, City of Angels, The Producers, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Ring of Fire. Currently Vance performs regularly with Spoken Four, Radio Gaga, a Queen and Lady Gaga tribute band in the Chicago area, and at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theater.
As a percussionist, Vance has performed with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, CUBE and the Evanston Symphony Orchestra. As a marimba soloist, he has done three full length solo recitals, the most recent as a guest artist at Northern Michigan University. You can hear examples on the Marimba page. He performed the world premiere of Without Hands in 2003, an original composition for solo marimba written for him by LA based composer Keith Horn, and in 2008 was featured as a marimba soloist with the DePaul University Percussion Ensemble on the Michael Burritt piece Shadowchasers.
In the recording studio, Vance has played on numerous albums and demos for various artists. In addition, he maintains his own studio and is available to record custom drum and percussion tracks. You can hear and see examples on the Custom Drum Tracks page.
As a composer, he has done numerous sound scores for modern dance. You can hear examples of his work on the Solo Works page. Currently, Vance accompanies modern dance classes at Northwestern University.
As a instructor, in addition to maintaining his own private studio, Vance is currently the jazz drum set instructor at the Merit School of Music.
For bookings and lesson inquires, you can contact Vance directly at [email protected] or (847) 716-0250.
As a percussionist, Vance has performed with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, CUBE and the Evanston Symphony Orchestra. As a marimba soloist, he has done three full length solo recitals, the most recent as a guest artist at Northern Michigan University. You can hear examples on the Marimba page. He performed the world premiere of Without Hands in 2003, an original composition for solo marimba written for him by LA based composer Keith Horn, and in 2008 was featured as a marimba soloist with the DePaul University Percussion Ensemble on the Michael Burritt piece Shadowchasers.
In the recording studio, Vance has played on numerous albums and demos for various artists. In addition, he maintains his own studio and is available to record custom drum and percussion tracks. You can hear and see examples on the Custom Drum Tracks page.
As a composer, he has done numerous sound scores for modern dance. You can hear examples of his work on the Solo Works page. Currently, Vance accompanies modern dance classes at Northwestern University.
As a instructor, in addition to maintaining his own private studio, Vance is currently the jazz drum set instructor at the Merit School of Music.
For bookings and lesson inquires, you can contact Vance directly at [email protected] or (847) 716-0250.