Born in the era of war, Bill used his art and creativity as an anchor to fight isolation. From his start as an American folk music enthusiast to now running his music and dance company, Bill feels that art has no boundaries.

Bill Vanaver is the co-founder and music director of The Vanaver Caravan Music and Dance Company. Bill loves playing instruments and can play more than fifteen musical instruments. He  also composes orchestra pieces. Talking about The Vanaver Caravan, Bill says that they create narrative programs, fairy tales, orchestral music, etc.

Bill was born in 1943 and emphasizes the impact of the world war that was still going on during his childhood days. His initial days were spent at an army base and later in Philadelphia. Bill feels that he was a kind of insecure child as a kid and had a small group of friends, but music is where he always found solace.

Bill says that he was raised by two grandmothers. One raised him and was a strict person; the other was an immigrant with a polite nature. He says that his father had a cold personality while his mother was an emotional person, and all these varying emotions he grew up amidst played a great deal in him becoming an artist and influenced his creative side.

Bill further shares that when he was eight years old, his parents sent him to an overnight camp, which did not work out. Later, he went to a cooperative left-wing camp, which brought him into proximity with American folk music. Bill says that there he met Pete Seeger, the father of the American folk music movement, and eventually he got interested in folk music and dance from other countries as well.

Bill says that he started his journey with American folk music, playing the banjo, and soon got attracted to music from different regions like Mexico, Bulgaria, Greece, etc.

Bill says that he was already performing at coffee houses, festivals, and carnivals and working as a folk singer when he met his wife Olivia during a Bulgarian Balkan Dance Festival. Bill feels that meeting Olivia was a big crowning moment for him. Another cherishable moment in his life was performing with the famous singing group, The Pennywhistlers.

If he had a time machine, Bill would go back in time and tell his younger self that everything will work out in the end and that the hard times will pass. Also, he adds humorously that he would advise his younger self to learn jazz music and to play the keyboard as well.

Talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill says that he lost many friends during that period. He feels that the good part of it was that people started communicating more and learning more through online mediums, whereas living in isolation was the part that troubled him.

In his free time, he likes reading, engaging socially with his friends, swing dancing, and watching series and movies.