Country Gets Set for A Classical August

The arrival of August will bring a symphony of musical performances to span the  country and offer Costa Ricans an array of classical sounds to enjoy, with the annual Credomatic Music Festival Aug. 1 to 16.

In its 19th year, the festival has established itself as one of the premier music events in Costa Rica, bringing worldrenowned soloists, composers, classical groups and singers to perform at 18 venues across  the country, from the National Theater in San José to the Cristal Ballena Hotel on the southern Pacific coast.

The festival has always tried “to make itself accessible to the largest number of people in Costa

Rica,” said festival director Jordi Antich.

In addition to amphitheaters and more traditional venues, artists will be playing in numerous hotels, natural settings and churches.

The churches offer a unique opportunity for the three famous organists who will be playing – especially to commemorate the newly restored, more than 100-year-old organ in San José’s Metropolitan Cathedral (TT, Dec. 24, 2008).

Artists from Costa Rica, the United States, Russia and across Europe are set to perform in the festival. Three Tico groups will be playing: Ganassi, a group dedicated to the music of the Renaissance, the Heredia Municipal Symphony Orchestra, and composer Eddie Mora. International artists on the program include Russia’s Bolshoi Theater Quartet, the Hunfeld-Hengst Duo from the Netherlands, U.S. soprano Nell Snaidas, Austria’s Merlin Ensemble Vienna and young French cellist Yan Levionnois.

Of the 18 venues, five will feature free concerts: the Metropolitan Cathedral, Morazán Park and Don Bosco Church in San José; Las Mercedes Church in Grecia, west of the capital; and the church in San Ramón de Alajuela, northwest of San José. Tickets to performances in the National Theater range from ¢500 to ¢10,000 ($0.90 to $17).

For information, call Credomatic at 2295-9898, or see next week’s Calendar for a complete concert schedule.

–Daniel Shea