ALONSO TORO
Composer
Biologist
Wind multi-instrumentalist
"Alonso Toro is doubtless among the very best creative musical minds in our continent, in all styles you can possibly imagine, and then others you hadn't even dreamt of…
A glance into his catalog of music for all screens, large or small, speaks of talent, artistry, craft, and taste.
Not to mention a handful of landmark albums of his own compositions, superbly produced. Discover why so many top Venezuelan musicians follow his creations."
Paul Desenne
Alonso Toro has more than 25 years as a composer and musical producer in the audiovisual medium, he has made the music and/or the soundtrack of more than 500 commercials for TV Cable and Radio, about 100 documentaries and 24 TV and movie films. He has produced, recorded and edited 5 albums as author, and more than 15 by other authors, he has also composed works for symphony orchestra, chamber music, sonatas for flute and piano, clarinet and piano, guitar, and harp.
AWARDS:
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Gold Medal New York Festival 1993 for the music of “Dimension Intro”.
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Islantilla Cineforum. Moon Award 2.016. Best original music for “Dauna, Lo que Lleva el Río”.
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Best Music Award, Mérida Venezuelan Film Festival, 2012. For "Patas Arriba".
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Best Music Award, Mérida Venezuelan Film Festival, 2015. For “Dauna, Lo que Lleva el Río”.
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Best Soundtrack Award, Trieste Latin American Film Festival–Italy. XXXI edition. For “Dauna, Lo que Lleva el Río”. 2015.
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PROMAX Gold Award, “HBO Latin America Redesign 2000”. MusicScore.
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FIAP-2001 Buenos Aires. Ibero-American Advertising Festival 2001. Silver Sun. Coca Cola commercial, Terror version.
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ANDA Awards of Venezuela. 7 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze for best original music, best soundtrack and best radio commercial.
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National Composition Contest. Honorable mention for the Work for Symphony Orchestra "Glovals" 1991.
“Dauna, Lo que Lleva el Río”, represented the South American country in the category of Best Foreign Film at the Oscars and had its world premiere at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, in the NATIVE selection, which brings together the best films on indigenous themes.
WIND MULTI INSTRUMENTALIST
Alonso Toro is a multi-instrumentalist of winds, he is a professional bassoonist, saxophonist (sopranist), recorder, cornetist, and he also plays wind controller, theremin, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, valve trombone, euphoniums, melophon, shells, xaphoon, ocarinas and any aerophone that falls into their hands.
The following video demonstrates it without a doubt.
BIO
Alonso Toro Martinez (Caracas 1963)
Venezuelan composer and saxophone player, with a degree in Biology from the Venezuelan Central University. He began his musical studies as a bassoonist of the Venezuelan Youth Symphony under Filiberto Núñez, and became a member of the renowned Simón Bolívar symphony orchestra, as bassoonist and saxophone player. Mr Toro was appointed director of the saxophone department of theVenezuelan Conservatory.
With a solid training in both classical music and Jazz, following courses at Indiana University under Eugene Rousseau, Alonso Toro started playing in festivals with his jazz band, jamming with renowned players such as Dizzy Gillespie and Paquito de Rivera, among others.
Mr. Toro has been awarded special composition prizes in Venezuela for his symphonic works, and has been a regular recipient of the coveted local ANDA awards for his work in television commercials (7 Gold medals and more than 25 mentions). Since he began his intensive work in music for television and films in 1990, Alonso Toro has produced music for more than 700 spots, dozens of TV films and documentaries, as well as several long feature films, one of which was awarded the first prize of the Latin American Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2001. Twice winner of “Best Music” at the Mérida Venezuelan Film Festival. Best Soundtrack Award, Trieste Latin American Film Festival–Italy. XXXI edition.
Abroad, his work has received several important awards: Gold Medal, 36th Annual New York Festivals Competition, 1993; Promax Gold Award to the "HBO Latin America Redesign 2000"; BDA Judge's Choice Award 2000 BDA Latin America Gold Award; FIAP 2001 Buenos Aires "Silver Sun" award.
His personal creative work has not been interrupted by his work in Television; Mr. Toro has published five CDs with compositions for chamber ensembles, electronic music and for his musical group. He is also a very active producer of Classical and Modern music recordings in Venezuela.
