Víctor Pablo García-Gaetán is a percussionist, drummer, and composer based in New York City who’s always chasing groove, texture, and the spaces in between. Born and raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico, his musical world is rooted as much in Afro-Caribbean traditions as it is in contemporary classical music, jazz, and everything that blurs those lines.

A graduate of the Escuela Libre de Música de San Juan and Temple University (BM/MM in Orchestral Percussion), Víctor Pablo has built a career that moves fluidly between concert halls, Broadway pits, bandstands, and bateyes. He has been part of Broadway productions such as Alicia Keys’ Grammy and Tony winning Hell’s Kitchen, New York, New York, and the 2022 revival of The Music Man featuring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. VP is currently part of the team for Basura, a new musical by Gloria and Emily Estefan premiering in Atlanta in summer 2026.

Whether onstage or in the studio, collaboration sits at the center of his work. He’s performed with artists like Arturo O’Farrill, Miguel Zenón, Angélica Negrón, Cimafunk, and Imani Winds, Liz Gilles, and Andrew Lippa, and is a core member of Pleneros de la 21, and of the NYC-based timba/salsa band People of Earth (PoE).

In 2024, he founded El Vapor de Brooklyn (VBK) - a diasporic Afro-Caribbean plena & bomba fusion project reflecting his ongoing exploration of heritage, migration, and sound. This group was awarded a 2026 Chamber Music America - Artistic Projects grant to record its debut album.

Additional credits include performances with Alarm Will Sound, Roomful of Teeth, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the National Symphony Orchestra, Ismael Miranda, Itai Kriss, Nestor Torres, as well as productions including The Lion King, Beetlejuice, TINA, and Cirque du Soleil Paramour. He can be heard on the film soundtracks for Highest 2 Lowest (2025), In the Heights (2021), and Vivo (2021).

As a composer, VP creates music for solo percussion, mixed ensembles, electronics, and beyond, often exploring the dialogue between acoustic and electronic worlds, as well as tradition and experimentation. His work includes sound design and original music for theater, including Nirvania Quesada’s adaptation of César Aira’s Yo Era Una Chica Moderna.

At the end of the day, he’s just as comfortable deep in a folkloric groove as he is navigating complex contemporary scores—and is always looking for ways to bring those worlds closer together.

VP is a teaching artist with Bélongo and the American Composers Orchestra and has been a Step-Up Artist grantee of Pregones/PRTT. Víctor Pablo is an endorser of Innovative Percussion, Meinl Percussion, and Meinl Cymbals. His compositions are available through Bachovich Music Publications.