Cornell University Wind Ensemble Visits Costa Rica

THE musicians of the Cornell University Wind Ensemble, CU Winds, have traveled from their home base of Ithaca, New York, to Costa Rica for an outreach tour lasting through Jan. 20.

The group of Cornell’s best undergraduate wind and percussion players began their tour with a visit to a small music school in the rural Matapalo community in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, where they held a workshop and concert for the school’s young musicians and donated 80 instruments to the school.

Tomorrow, CU Winds will merge its talent with that of the Matapalo Band to play in the Santa Cruz Cultural Festival before traveling to San José to conduct several workshops in area schools, retirement homes and community venues.

The group’s visit will culminate in a charity concert at the Eugene O’Neill Theater at the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center in San Pedro, east of San José, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds from the concert will benefit schools and organizations serving underprivileged children.

Costa Rican composer and violinist Eddie Mora was commissioned to compose an original piece for the concert, uniting traditional Costa Rican rhythms with the sounds of classical wind instruments. CU Winds members will join with local musicians to debut the piece.

Tickets to the concert are ¢3,000 ($6). For information or reservations, call 207-7554.