FRANCIS MAXINO Pianist-singer, multi-instrumentalist, musical and literary composing artiste, Minstrel of the Third Millenium Well-known in Christchurch and greater New Zealand for his eclectic mix of musical creations; variety and stylistic flexibility make it difficult to trap this multi-talented man into conventional genre classifications. From neo-romantic and fusion jazz pianoforte pieces, ethnic didjeridu dance pieces to romantic ballades and effervescent electronic pop-rock songs his music is different, powerful, engaging and moving. Drawing upon unique, unusual hand-crafted instruments of wind and string, dating from the neolithic to renaissance and baroque eras, fused with electro-acoustic keyboards, recordings and voice, this veritable pied-piper creates mysterious and evocative music that seems to transcend time, encompassing global cultures, taking the listener on a journey of sonic discovery that harks of the olde-worlde, explodes into the popular styles of recent decades and propels you, via the manipulation and sculpting of sound, into an age yet to come. ÔThe international language of the Earth, music, is the most subtly perceived, yet, powerfully moving artform.Õ