Chris Vallillo

Description

Chris Vallillo is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, roots musician who weaves original and traditional songs and narratives into compelling, entertaining portraits of the Midwest. His 1980's folklore work documenting the last "pre radio" generation of musicians in Illinois is part of the American Folklore Collection at the Library of Congress. From 1990-1998 he served as performing host and co-producer of the nationally distributed, award-winning public radio series "Rural Route 3". He twice served as the Illinois Scholar for the Smithsonian's traveling exhibit on roots music, "New Harmonies".

Dirty Linen magazine described his music as "vivid, original story songs" delivered with an "eye for detail and a sense of history." and his prairie poet style has been compared to the works of Carl Sandburg and Vachel Linsey. His project, "Oh Freedom! Songs of the Civil Rights Movement" charted at # 6 on the National Folk charts. His show "Abraham Lincoln in Song", received the endorsement of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the CD reached #10 on Billboard's Bluegrass Album Chart.

Vallillo performs both standard concerts and scripted, theatrical shows built to explore a theme. Solo, duo and ensemble versions are available based on presenters need.

Work Sample

This is the promotional piece I created for the television version of my show "Oh Freedom!" which features excerpts for the full show, recorded live, on April the 11th, 2018 at Western Illinois University, in Macomb, IL. It features myself, plus three additional musicians, full theatrical lighting and staging, projected rare images, and the 42 voices of the Western Illinois University Singers choir. The total running time of the piece is 3:25, but the full show runs 1:07:00. The band for this performance was funded by an IACA Individual Artists Support Grant.

The theatrical version of "Oh Freedom!" is the pinnacle of my work to date combining the elements of music, storytelling, and images that I have worked for years to bring to the stage. Opportunities to do such a project are rare for a rural artist, and showcase the wide range skills I have had to master in order to survive and develop my art. This is one of many shows I have created using music as a vehicle to tell a story or explore a subject and the interaction of storytelling, music, arranging and multi-instrumental performance are typical of the shows I am currently creating and performing. While both "Oh Freedom!" and my 2008 show, "Abraham Lincoln In Song" were specifically designed to be performed at the PAC level of venue, they are shows I can and do perform in a wide range of situations from solo to full ensemble. In addition to these scripted, staged shows, I also perform standard concerts of roots and original songs and instrumentals.

History

I have performed for a living since 1979, full time, producing 7 independent recordings of my own. I am a project oriented artist, working with numerous partners including IACA, the Illinois Humanities Council and the Smithsonian Institution among others.

1987: Designed and implemented The Schuyler Arts Folk Music Collecting Project, for IACA in cooperation with the Library of Congress Folklife Center.

1987: Nominated for the Illinois Arts Council's Governor's Award for Individual Artist,

1990-1997: Host and co-producer of the nationally syndicated award winning public radio performance series "Rural Route 3".

In the early 2000s I began creating one man shows using music as the vehicle to explore a subject or theme. My project, "Abraham Lincoln in Song", received the endorsement of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and it's CD reached #10 on Billboard's Bluegrass album chart. I twice served as the Illinois State Scholar for the Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibition on roots music, "New Harmonies". My latest show, "Oh Freedom!" has been developed as a theatrical presentation and was recorded and syndicated on Illinois Public TV.

In addition, I have scored and recorded soundtracks for numerous documentaries including projects for the National Park Service, WFMT radio, and Public Television.

Artistic Vision

I am a self taught, rural, multi-instrumentalist who writes original songs and instrumentals, a folklorist whose work resides in the Library of Congress, a self produced recording artist and member of the Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a folk musician with a deep knowledge and respect for roots and traditional music. My artistic vision combines all these elements and many more. As a rural artist I have had to create opportunities and connections for myself. When gig's aren't available, I have created them, be it a new venue, a new project, or now, livestream performances.

I believe a great song is a work of art and an intimate form of communication. I constantly draw on my artistic background and the palette of rare instruments I play to create new soundscapes to express the music I perform. Beginning in the early 2000's, I built on these concepts using collections of songs and unique instruments to create themed shows, ultimately producing them in theatrical form. These highly regarded shows explore historical themes and the issues of social justice among others. For me, creating a show is the natural extension of songwriting but on a larger, grander, scale.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

My work as a folklorist has given me uncommon insight into connecting with audiences that can be "delicate" and I approach any such situation or audience with the same care I would in a folklore interview, with respect, honesty and open ears. In addition, having lived in and documented rural Illinois for the past 40 years, I have a deep understanding of the history, tastes, issues, and points of view of rural Illinois America and it's audiences. These skills have allowed me to work with a wide range of groups from rural partners to Black urban Gospel Choirs, in both traditional and non traditional performance spaces.

Traditional Folk/Ethnic Artform Statement

I have lived, worked and created music in rural Illinois since 1976 when I first came to Western Illinois as an Archaeologist. In the 1980's following my folklore work for the IACA, the Illinois Arts Council specifically asked me to list with them as a traditional folk artist and I have been listed as such in the Artstour and Artists in Education Rosters ever since. While I was not born and raised in rural Illinois, the IAC considered my folklore work and over 40 years of preserving, documenting and performing the music of rural Illinois as making me worthy of the listing. As someone who documented the last of the pre-radio generation of musicians in rural Illinois and drew heavily from that experience, I bring a personal connection and a deep knowledge base to my work, particularly in rural settings.