VICTORIA THEODORE

Victoria Theodore received her Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Classical Piano Performance and Computer Music from Oberlin College / Conservatory of Music (where she studied piano with Sedmara Zakarian Rutstein), and her Master of Arts degree in Classical Piano Performance from Stanford University (where she studied piano with George Barth and vocal accompaniment with Judith Bettina). As a teen, Victoria studied piano and voice in the UC Berkeley Young Musician’s Program (YMP) and sang (and began her accompanying career) with the Oakland Youth Chorus (OYC) , under the direction of Trente Morant. Through YMP, Victoria studied piano primarily with Eugene Gash (1920-1995), the first African-American concert pianist to perform a solo concert at Carnegie Hall, and a student of E. Robert Schmitz (1889-1949), a student of composer Claude Debussy. During her Stanford years, Victoria also studied Jazz Piano with Mark Levine, Bill Bell and Frank Martin.

While studying for her MA, Victoria performed with several San Francisco Bay Area ensembles and bands, including The Peninsula Symphony, Theatreworks, Hayward Little Theater, Oakland Youth Chorus, and jazz bands Victoria Theodore Quintet, Time Will Tell Sextet, LMNOP and 10BassT. Shortly after graduation from Stanford, Victoria toured nationally as a keyboardist for Captiol Records artists Oaktown 357 – produced by MC Hammer.
Victoria is currently working on her first solo music project. You can join her in this project by making a pledge today: Victoria Theodore’s PledgeMusic Campaign

Arsenio Hall came back to television in 2013, and Victoria was chosen to be the keyboardist in the band, Posse 2.0. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled before the end of the first season. But Victoria had the opportunity to perform with an amazing group of musicians: Music Director, Robin DiMaggio, bassist Alex Al, guitarist Rob “FONKSTA” Bacon and multi-instrmuentalist/singer Sean Holt, creating incredible musical moments with a wide variety of artists, including Gladys Knight, Earth Wind & Fire, Joe Satriani, Nathan East, Randy Jackson, R Kelly, Trombone Shorty, Flo-rida and Lil Jon.

Beginning in August, 2007, Victoria was hired to tour with legendary musical genius Stevie Wonder, playing keyboards and singing background vocals in his band. She has traveled around the world with Stevie and looks forward to more touring! (And yes, it’s as fabulous as you’d imagine!)

“I have a commitment to expressing gratitude in my daily life. Even during times of challenge, I make an effort to find the proverbial silver lining, the lesson, the blessing in what manifests in my life. Writing a song about being grateful is a natural extension of who I am. I’ve been the beneficiary of incredibly beautiful blessings in every aspect of my life.”