Bob Bonora

ROBERT BONORA, percussion – has worked with a variety of entertainers, performing in virtually every hotel and showroom in Las Vegas. A native of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, he currently is on the faculty of The College of Southern Nevada (CSN), where he is Lead Faculty for Music, coordinator of Percussion/Steel Drum and Drum Set Studies as well professor of History of Rock Music. Bob is also currently percussionist with Vegas! The Show, at Planet Hollywood. He has performed as percussionist with The Wayne Newton Orchestra, and as a member of the Crimes Against Nature Band for the Emmy Award Nominated Penn & Teller television show “Sin City Spectacular.” He has also performed with Harry Connick, Jr., Alicia Keys, Vanessa Williams, Bernadette Peters, Lyle Lovett, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, Charlotte Church, Alan Parsons Project, Dennis DeYoung (Styx), Bill Cosby, Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles, Debbie Reynolds, Wierd Al Yankovic, Joe Williams, Marlena Shaw, Pete Chrislieb. Bob has done work in many of the Broadway shows playing in Las Vegas including The Producers, Mama Mia, We Will Rock You, Avenue Q, Annie, and The Full Monty.

Bob is active in steel drums with PANACEA, his own pan group, as well as starting the Calypso Coyote Steel Drum Band at CSN in 2003. He is active in the Nevada Chapter of Percussive Arts Society, organizing the annual mass steel drum band from around metro Las Vegas. He has also appeared as percussionist with the Nevada Symphony, Nevada Chamber Orchestra, Nevada Wind Ensemble and Nevada Opera Theater.

Bob received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Akron in 1984 and went on to get a Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance from University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1994. He is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Percussion at UNLV.