Well Known Bolivian pianist Ruddy Franco was distinguished by the Bolivian government for his brillant artistic development, and by the Peruvian National Institute of Culture for his continuous support to the artistic manifestations, preserving the national cultural patrimony. Winner of the 2011 Bolivian Junior Chamber International TOYP Award recognizing Outstanding Young Persons , in the category of Cultural Achievments. His concerts where live TV broadcasted to Bolivia and the world by ABYA YALA TV and TV CULTURAS.
Since 2005 he began concert tours performing Andean and classical music in Latin American Countries, and he was recognized as “The Summit pianist of andean culture”, by the Chilean press . He was invited as soloist with the Bolivian National Symphony Orchestra in the “National young talents concert” and from 1999 to 2003 he was the official pianist of that institution. He also played as soloist with the Trujillo Symphony Orchestra, Arequipa Symphony Orchestra and Loyola Symphonietta, and he have given masterclasses in different Conservatories and Universities.
On 2010 he releases his first álbum of Andean Fusion Music : “Pacha Kamaq”. The song Orico from this álbum was winner of the Broadjam 09 best song of the month contest. Sony creative launch an International Remix contest of his song. Franco’s music was performed in many important dance shows in Bolivia. On 2012 he was invited by the Japanese ambassador, Keiko Watanbe, to perform a special charity concert at the embassy for diplomatic corps. On 2016 he releases his second álbum “OM SHANTI OM” with fusión, andean and mantric music, who is going to be presented on differents cities of the world. On 2016 he was invited touring different cities in Colombia, and he was guest as cultural ambassador of Andean Music on the “1st International Festival of Traditional and Latinamerican music” at Villa de Leyva. 2017, performs an special Andean music with Luzmila Carpio at the CCK (Kirchner Cultural Center) in Buenos Aires, and in 2018 is invited as special guest for giving a concert in La Paz “Ibeoamerican Capital of Cultures 2018”
Q:When you decide it’s time to make a new record, is that more exciting or stressful?
Ans: I feel an exciting stress, because it motivates me to cope the process of making a new record, it is a long way that it is needed for the new musical production, beginning on composing, arranging, and later tracking, mixing, editing and finally mastering, and it demands you a lot of work and energy, so stress helps me focus on the work, meet daily challenges and reach the goals, but on the other side, the excitment of hearing the final product is really overwheelming, and stress reliefs completely
Q: How easily do songs tend to come to you?
Ans : It is imposible for me to know when the song is coming, sometimes i’m giving doing anything and one musical motive come to me, so i record it on my cellphone, because i know that later i will forget it. After that I choose the motives i liked most to work on them, develep the ideas and making the arrangments, that is the most difficult part of the process.
Q: For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words?
Ans: Soothing, Uplifting, Relaxing, Astral, Mantric.
Q: You write all of your own music; where do you draw inspiration from when you write songs and what’s your favorite part about the proccess?
ANS: I really don’t know if as humans we are capable of “creating new sounds” , but what i’m sure is that we can capture the sounds of the universe, and the enviroment (like an antenna) and transform it into a melody, so you can capture it when watching the beauty of nature, of having some strong emotion; to this process i call “inspiration”. Later we can use these “unveiled new sounds or melody” to work on them and give the character and features that you want. Every part of the process have a great degree of excitment. But my favorite one is making the musical arrangments. In that part you can choose the instruments, the rythm, the harmony, and there are endless posibilities to develop the first musical idea, so in this part you can create a good song, or you can totally ruin the song that could have been a success.
Q:When and why did you start playing?
ANS: I started playing the piano since i was 7 years old
Q: Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV?
Ans: Yes, I have performed several times in public, at small places and also in big theatres, and some of my concerts were broadcasted live on National TV. I think that performing live is one of the most beautiful experiences an artist can have, and on that occasions we can fell the most extreme emotions available for us, specially if the theatre is full or the tickets are sold out.
Q: How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
Ans: I practice very much, and i’d like not have any mistake during a performace, but i think that is almost inevitable, not only for you but also for your band members, so it is important to find ways to handle mistakes that can happen. The most important thing is not to panic, stay calm and try to continue as nothing happened, and in order to do that you need to have good communication with your band members.
Q: How often and for how long do you practice?
Ans: I need to practice everyday for at least a couple of hours in order to keep me in training and to maintain my piano technique.
Q: Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
Ans: I usually am nervous for the first songs, but as the concert continues i begin to feel more and more comfortable.
Q: What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
Ans: I think it’s completely normal to be nervous before a performance, being too nervous can lead to mistakes- especially if your nerves are all you can think about. There are some techniques you can use to keep you mind in calm, like meditation, yoga, taichí and Qi gong. And while performing think of the audience as a single body of music appreciation instead of multiple people who are judging you. Focus on their warm, smiling faces and remember they’re here to enjoy your performance.
Thanks for taking time out of your day:)
