12 GIRLS BAND PBS SPECIAL
VCI directed and co-produced the Twelve Girls Band PBS music special in November, 2006. The show will air March 2007 on PBS. The classical-meets-pop group Twelve Girls Band, which uses traditional Chinese instruments to perform classical, pop, jazz and folk songs, gave an outdoor performance on the plaza of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

"The band, established in 2001, is very Chinese and at the same time very international," said Gustavo Sagastume, vice president of programming for PBS. "There is no better means than music, which traverses cultural barriers and goes straight to the heart of people."

Director George Veras said, "This was a unique collaboration with Shanghai TV and PBS. The TV crew, lighting and set design facilities were all provided by the Chinese. The show was filmed outdoors beneath the Oriental Pearl Tower, the third tallest TV tower in the world and the stage backdrop was the spectacular city skyline of Shanghai, giving the show a big and special feel that is sure to best present the unique musical sound of the 12 Girls Band."

Music was arranged by three time Grammy nominee Bob Belden and show lighting was designed and produced by two-time Emmy nominee Dan McKendrick, President of TVLD (www.tvld.com).

FT. LAUDERDALE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
For 20 years, the First Baptist Church of Ft Lauderdale has staged this spectacular musical Christmas extravaganza, with a cast of hundreds, included live animals, to the delight of nineteen straight sellout crowds of 3000. VCI directed this show from 2000-2004, winning a TELLY award (2003) and a local EMMY award (2004) for his show direction. After an absence of two years, VCI has been hired back to direct the 2006 Ft Lauderdale Concert the WPBT, Miami.

SPHINX CLASSICAL MUSIC COMPETITION
Detroit Public Television (DPTV) Producer Jeff Forester said "As a former director, I found George Veras to be extremely well prepared to direct our eight-camera symphony program. His positive approach helped to inspire our crew to perform on an extremely high level. Thanks to George, we were able to significantly improve the quality of our pprogram. The next time we have a production that needs to sparkle and impress, we will call George". The show aired in April 2004. VCI was hired again to direct the 2004 show and the High Definition 2005 show and as been retained to direct the tenth anniversary 2007 Sphinx show.

Read the article from People Magazine (1.2M)

RAY CHARLES PBS MUSIC SPECIAL
VCI produced and directed a Ray Charles music special for New Jersey Network (NJN) at the War Memorial Arena in Trenton, NJ on November 7th. Ray Charles played Sadie's Tune, Being Green, It Hurts To Be In Love, Georgia, Almost Like Being In Love, Hey Girl, Scotia, Song For You. The Raylettes sang Chain Of Fools, Guess Who I Saw Today, Hit The Road Jack, I Can't Stop Loving You and What'd You Say. They were accompanied by a 60 piece orchestra led by Victor Vanacore. The show aired as part of a three hour pledge special on December 7th.   Read More! Nominated for 2003 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards for Outstanding Entertainment Broadcast as Director.

BALLROOM FEVER
Ten of the world's greatest ballroom dance teams gathered at the site of the world's most elegant ballroom the Hofburg Palace, in Vienna, Austria, for an evening of spectacular performances. All types of dance, from ballet, salsa, formal, tango, tap, etc were on displayed in this joint Euro-Arts, WLRN, VCI production. The show toured in five cities in the United States receiving rave reviews from the New York Times. Jennifer Dunning, from the NY Times writes, "The two-hour show, which featured champion competitive ballroom-dancing couples and a delightful comedy duo, certainly looked as if it belonged there. With almost no advance publicity or marketing, "Ballroom Fever" had a large and exuberant audience." * The television special aired nationally in 2000 and is available for tour. Please contact VCI at george@verastv.com for details.

60s POP ROCK REUNION
VCI and EaglevisionTV will produce and direct this event for a national PBS special in March 2004, in HDTV with partner HDNet, as well as standard format The event will take place on August 12th in Cleveland at Music Hall. Seven bands will perform together for the first time ever, including Tommy James and the Shondells, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone, Chad and Jeremy, Rob Grill and the Grassroots among others. Distribution handled by TIME LIFE.
See the preview clip
Read a review
See PBS air schedule (PDF 12k)
Read the ADVOCATE article

BACH CHORAL MASS IN B MINOR
125 voices,a 30 piece orchestra and seven cameras worked in concert to capture the magic performance of America's best Bach choral group in the Parker Memorial Church on the campus of Lehigh University. Bridget George said "VCI's preparation and interpretation of the musical score translated into the most beautiful television rendition of this event that I have ever seen". In partnership with WLVT-TV and PMTV (www.pmtv.com) , VCI directed and produced the event. The show will air on PBS in winter 2003-2004, contact amyb@wlvt.org for more information.

RISE UP AND SHINE
Over 200 voices from four of the nation's leading black colleges are joined by singing sensational Howard Hewitt and host Tony Brown (PBS' Black Journal) in a sixty singing history of black music. This journey takes us from the music on the slave ships to the prayerful roots of gospel and onto the blues of jazz of the South and the North. Taped at the Paris Theatre in Las Vegas on March 2002 by 9-time Emmy winner producer-director George Veras, Set Designer Ron Baldwin, Lighting Director Dan McKendrick( DooWop 50) and Audio Engineers Paul Whitehead and Bob Wright. Executive Producer Bob Bailey, Senior Producers David Dinkins, Jr and Kathy Kidd. Show home video and DVD available for purchase.

ESTEBAN - SEDONA SUNRISE
The world's leading classical guitarist brought his friends to this stunning setting for an evening of musical delights. Included guest performers: Ronan Tynon and world renowned violinist Eugene Fodor. Songs included Mediterraneo, Busceme Mucho, Sedona Sunrise, and Danny Boy. Special to air on HSN and PBS. VCI directed and produced this event for television.

NANA MOUSKOURI: CONCERT FOR PEACE
World renowned singer's American TV special debut..The backdrop for her medley of international hits was the world's second largest indoor cathedral, St. John's the Divine, for a command performance for the Patriarch Bartholomew..Songs include Love Changes Everything, Return to Love, I Don't Want to Say Goodbye, Ave Marie, Amazing Grace, Song for Liberty. Aired nationally August 1998 and was one of the highest pledge specials for that month. Co-produced with WLIW-TV, New York

THERE IS LOVE (Noel "Paul" Stookey)
This concert, taped last February, will be part of the PBS December pledge drive and has been picked up by over 150 stations. For more information and to hear the show visit WPBT Channel 2. "There Is Love" is a 60 minute holiday music special that celebrates faith through contemporary songs. The music is performed by folk legend Noel "Paul" Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary and longtime collaborator and accomplished singer/songwriter Michael Kelly Blanchard. Through original compositions and the warmth of an acoustic folk-style performance, Stookey and Blanchard explore poignant human moments of Divine connection to everyday life, through their richly crafted songs in a unique inner-faith setting. The backdrop of the historic First Congregational Church of Southington, Connecticut and its faith-community involvement serves as a perfect setting for the program.

WORLD MILLENNIUM CONCERT
VCI produced and directed this musical marathon in Bombay, India, January 2000...Performances by Vengaboys, Right Said Fred, Bjorn Again, 911, and an all star Indian lineup, including Madhuri Dixit, internationally renowned violinist Dr. L. Subramanhiam, Shubha Mudgal, and Jatin Lalit..Aired on STAR TV and available for worldwide TV rights.