22nd Credomatic Music Festival dates chosen

The 22nd Credomatic Music Festival is bursting with new venues and musical talent from around the world. The festival is set to take place Aug. 4-19 in dozens of locations around the country. 

Performers include a classical pianist, a viola soloist and renowned vocalists and symphonic assemblies. Artists hail from Costa Rica, France, Mexico, the United States, Holland, Japan, Canada and other countries. These groups will perform in some of the most spectacular settings of Costa Rica, from San José’s Teatro Nacional to mountain lodges and historical churches to beach resorts. “It’s a marvel and an anticipated experience to host music of such quality in so many beautiful settings,” said Mauricio Estrada, general manager at Hacienda Pinilla in the northwest province of Guanacaste.

Estrada hosted 35 journalists from various publications at Hacienda Pinilla for the festival’s press conference. Hacienda Pinilla, a 4,500-acre resort and residential community, has been a long-time supporter of the music festival and will again host concerts with sound of the Pacific in the background.

One group generating buzz is composed of four young musicians who perform a fusion of jazz, Latin, classical and pop. Called Quattro, this group from the U.S. has appeared on American Idol and recorded tracks for movies including “Ice Age” and “X-Men.” Members include Giovanna Clayton (cello and vocals), Lisa Dondlinger (violin and vocals), Kayta Matsuno (guitar and vocals) and Jorge Villanueva (percussion and vocals).

Jordi Antich, festival director, said Quattro has a fantastic way of demanding and moving the listener’s attention from the vocalist to the percussion to the cello.

Entrance to some of the concerts in churches, historical centers and EARTH University will be free. Workshops will also be held for young musicians. Not all of the festival’s programming has been decided, so look for the final schedule and profiles of the musicians in upcoming issues of The Tico Times.