Home → News & Events → National Symphony Orchestra charmed Guanacaste (Jun 26, 2008)

(Infocom) — The National Symphony Orchestra (OSN) recently finished a tour throughout Guanacaste, taking its music to every corner of the province.

From June 10-13, Guanacaste was filled with music from renowned national and European composers, as the orchestra made its mark on the pampa under the direction of Chosei Komatsu. Places where the orchestra performed included the Tilaran Cathedral, Liberia’s Immaculate Conception Church, the Josefina Lopez Bonilla School in Santa Cruz, and the San Jose Patriarca Chruch in Cañas.

The tour was part of the orchestra’s Cultural Outreach Season 2008. “Escenas Guanacastecas” by Bonilla; “Inspiraciones Costarricenses” by Carlos Guzman; the “Vals Leda” by Julio Fonseca; and the Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra by Creston, played by soloist William Ramos, were part of the repertoire offered by the orchestra during its Guanacaste tour.

The OSN plays some 90 concerts a year, making it one of the most prolific cultural institutions in the country.

The National Symphony Orchestra is the Costa Rican institution dedicated to promoting classical music, choir music and lyrical arts, as well as instrument training. It currently has 72 professional musicians who rehearse daily. Eighty-seven percent of its musicians are Costa Rican, with many of them coming out of the orchestra’s Youth Program.

During its trajectory, the OSN has gone through several phases. In the mid-1980s, the orchestra went through a profound restructuring and consolidation that was started a decade before. Under the direction of Irwin Hoffman, the orchestra achieved a level never seen before. Under Hoffman, the OSN performed in the United States, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Spain, Taiwan, Mexico and Panama. In all of these venues, it was applauded by audiences and loved by the critics.

In 1994, the OSN recorded its first CD containing music by Costa Rican composers, and in 1998 it recorded a second disc with music by both local and international composers.

Following Hoffman’s retirement and after an arduous selection process, Japanese director Chosei Komatsu was chosen to lead the orchestra.

In September 2005, the OSN embarked on a successful tour through Japan, playing in cities such as Kanazawa, Fukui, Aichi and Kobe. Large halls were filled to capacity for every performance given by the Costa Rican orchestra. Including works by Costa Rican composers such as Benjamin Gutierrez, Eddie Mora and arrangements by Vinicio Meza, in addition to performances by pianist Jacques Sagot and soprano Ivette Rojas, the OSN wrote another great in its history then.

Now, the OSN is looking into the future with optimism and hope that this new stage will help it consolidate more and reach even higher levels of excellence.