Connor Vance
Teaching Artist
Connor Vance is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and string arranger whose inventive textural techniques and genre-spanning career have earned him the nickname “King of Strings.”
Connor’s path began with bluegrass and jazz gigs across California before leading him to Carnegie Hall, Prague’s Rudolfinum, and Walt Disney Concert Hall as concertmaster of the Santa Monica High School premiere Symphony Orchestra. He studied under violin professors Guillaume Sutre and Movses Pogossian at UCLA before joining the internationally-touring Americana act Dustbowl Revival, helping produce five charting albums and performing worldwide.
Today, Connor is a sought-after string artist and arranger in the cinematic and indie music world. His work includes Abbey Road sessions with the London Philharmonia for Eternal Eclipse’s Forgotten Odes, film scores for the 2021 Hazel Dickens documentary titled Don’t Put Her Down, as well as the 2021 dystopian sci-fi film Together Forever. You can also hear his fiddle work on the Dropkick Murphys’ latest Woody Guthrie tribute album, including their new rendition of the perennial favorite “Shipping Up to Boston.” Recent credits include performance and sound mixing on Gemini Strings’ cover of “Birds of a Feather,” heard in Season 4 of Netflix’s Bridgerton.
Connor often cites the improvisational discipline and ear training he gained through bluegrass and jazz as some of the most valuable foundations of his musical life, shaping his approach to performance, arranging, recording, and composition alike.
