Facio Santillan is an

Argentinean Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish language, Spanish (Grammatical gender, masculine) or (Grammatical gender, feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be resident ...

flute player, specialising in the

Quena The quena (hispanicized spelling of Quechua ''qina'', sometimes also written ''kena'' in English) is the traditional flute of the Andes. Traditionally made of cane or wood, it has 6 finger holes and one thumb hole, and is open on both ends or th ...

. He rose to international fame in 1970 with his recording of the Andes folk anthem, El Condor Pasa, released initially as a single and later as a track on the Flutes of the Andes LP record series on the French label Riviera The child of a large family, Santillan was born and raised in

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province in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He began playing the “quena” as a young boy, developing his skills both technically and also in phrasing, tone production and vibrato. From 1960, he played with the ensemble Los Amigos de Amambay, travelling and performing throughout Argentina and Spanish America. In 1970 he was invited to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, to record a selection of Andes flute repertoire for Riviera, accompanied by a small ensemble usually consisting of guitar, bass and tambour. El Conder Pasa was released as a single and three albums followed under the French title Sortiléges De La Flûte Des Andes or Flutes of the Andes in English speaking countries. Billboard Magazine issue for 25 July 1970, reported 60,000 copies of the single sold in the first half of that year alone Santillan was particularly popular in France, West

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

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during the 1970s. He appeared on the German TV variety shows Die Drehscheibe (1970 and 1971) and Drei mal neun (1971). In 1971 he was also a guest artist at the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, sharing the stage with Nancy Wilson,

Ivan Rebroff Ivan Rebroff (31 July 193127 February 2008) was a German-born vocalist, allegedly of Russian ancestry, who rose to prominence for his distinct and extensive vocal range of four and a half octaves, ranging from the soprano to bass registers. ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

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and

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

. In 2000, he was awarded by the Government of Santiago del Estero, the Biannual Music Prize "Ricardo Rojas" in recognition of his dedication to Culture. He later settled in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Germany, where he founded a recording studio and currently resides.

Discography

* ''Flutes of the Andes'' (Riviera) 1970 * ''Flutes of the Andes Vol. 2'' (Riviera) 1971 * ''Flutes of the Andes Vol. 3'' (Riviera) 1972 * ''Facio Santillan'' (Intercord) 1977

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Santillan, Facio Date of birth missing (living people) Living people Argentine musicians Argentine folk flautists Year of birth missing (living people) Argentine emigrants to Germany