Artistic DossierSantiago, Chile

©2019

ENG

¡HELLO!I'm Francis Valerio and I want to invite you to know more about my project thathas as protagonists the Melodion and the Toy Piano, two musical instrumentscataloged as toys, but which possess qualities as beautiful as those of any othermusical instrument.

Be all welcome to rediscover, enjoy and feel through these pages this new age of the Melodion and the Toy Piano as concert instruments.

2

B I O G R A P H Y

3

Born in 1993 in Santiago de Chile, Francis Valerio has venturedexclusively into the world of Melodica since 2014, adding a newelement since mid 2018: the Toy Piano.

He learned music when he was the tubist and keyboardist of theSymphony Orchestra of Isla de Maipo, a group with which herepresented the commune, doing various tours throughout Chile andacquiring a great musical experience within the symphonicenvironment.

Likewise, he has directed musical groups such as the Paihuen FolkloricQuartet, the Melodiquius Tango Trio and the Tango orchestralworkshop of the "Proyección Musical" Music School, where he was apiano teacher during 2015, to continue exercising this activity thefollowing year in the Autonomous Musical School “El taller", bothnonprofit entities.

As a soloist, he has participated in different cultural events and fairs inthe main neighborhoods of Santiago and Valparaíso, as well as beinginvited as a musician by the Banda Bordemar in Queilen, the Isla deMaipo Symphony Orchestra in Santiago and Isla de Maipo and "TheMonsters of Melodica", American musicians who organize an annualWorld session together with the most outstanding Melodioninterpreters worldwide.

Photograph by

4ABOUT THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

A brief review about the main musical instruments that give life

to the performance.

HAMMOND 44 MELODION PRO-44H

This is a professional melodion manufactured by theJapanese company Suzuki.

It has a three and a half octave keyboard (44 keys), a metalbody with a professional finish, a strap holder andincorporates an internal dynamic microphone for directaudio output that, together with its phosphor bronze tabs,gives it a deep and warm sound, special for tango and jazz.

5

6

SUZUKI ANDES 25-F

This instrument made by Suzuki, has the appearance ofmelodion (25 keys) but the curious thing is that its soundis practically identical to a flute, which makes it perfectfor pieces of folklore, Celtic music, classical music orbossa-nova.

Its name "Andes" refers to the zampoña or pan flute, amusical instrument characteristic of the Andean highplateau, whose sound is identical to that of the SuzukiAndes and from which its construction was inspired.

7

SCHOENHUT TOY PIANO 25-KEY

Originally conceived as an instrument for children, this toypiano (25 keys) manufactured by the German companySchoenhut presents an exceptionally sweet sound andwhich matches very well with musical styles such as jazz,folklore and contemporary tango.

It is made of wood and has the shape of a vertical piano inminiature, emphasizing that its internal mechanismpresents small hammers that strike a series of metalplates that generate their warm sound.

P E R F O R M A N C E

The performance combines the qualities of theMelodion Hammond 44, the Suzuki Andes and the ToyPiano Schoenhut, turning them into a repertoire basedon jazz, Chilean folklore and mainly classical andmodern tango, with references to composers such asAstor Piazzolla, Jaime Barría , Chick Corea, Aníbal Troilo,Eduardo Rovira, among others.

It should be noted that the audience reaches a veryimportant role during each presentation, as apart fromenjoying listening to each piece, there are instances inwhich its active participation is extremely necessary,transforming the performance from a single monologueto a rich and varied musical conversation

8

TECHNICAL RIDER

9

Element Type of output

Hammond PRO-44H

Schoenhut Toy Piano

with piezoelectric

microphone

Suzuki Andes 25-F Microphone 2

Microphone 1 (Voice) -

Microphone 2

Jack ¼”

Melodion

Jack ¼”

Computer

-

(Suzuki Andes 25F)

Jack ¼” or RCA Return baffle -

PRESS

10Interview conducted by

cultural magazine “Captura

Cultura”

April 4, 2016

Journalistic column made

by the Chilean newspaper

“HoyxHoy”

November 12, 2018

VIDEOS

11

C O N T A C T

12

Artistic DossierSantiago, Chile©2019

ENG