Famous U.S. Guitarist Mike Stern Will Play at the National Theater’s Guitar Festival.

The International Guitar Festival starts tonight at the National Theater, Teatro Nacional, in downtown San Jose. More than 100 musicians from the United States, France, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Brazil, Cuba, Spain, and of course, Costa Rica will gather together for the 15th annual “Festival Internacional de Guitarra.”

Among the many renowned international artists, headliners who will take the stage include Mike Stern from the U.S., Carlos Barbosa Lima from Brazil, Berta Rojas from Paraguay and Rafael Andujar from Spain.

On Saturday two concerts will be held; the first will begin at 3 in the afternoon and will feature a special recital from the Guitar Orchestra, a group from the University of Costa Rica who will perform a tribute to its 25 years of existence. Ticket prices will range from 8,000 colones ($15) to 16,000 colones ($30).

The schedule of performances is as follows:

Wednesday, September 24 – 8 p.m.
Tonight’s event “Carribean Guitar” will begin with a performance from Jorge Luis Zamora who will Visit Costa Rica from Cuba. After intermission, Jose Angel Navarro, also from Cuba, will take the stage.

Thursday, September 25 – 8 p.m.
Day two of the Guitar Festival will feature performances of the “Electric Guitar” by native Costa Rican Marco Chinchilla, followed by U.S performer Mike Stern.

For those U.S. expats living abroad who want to take pride in a fellow American, Mike Stern has an impressive musical biography that spans three decades and includes over 12 albums and four GRAMMY nominations. He is considered to be a “jazz fusion” guitarist, who toured with the great Miles Davis for four years. In 1993 his album, Standards and Other Songs won him the ‘Best Jazz Guitarist of the year’ award and his subsequent two albums scored GRAMMY nominations. Again, in 1997, he won the Orville W. Gibson award for Best Jazz Guitarist for his album “Give and Take”. The talented Bill Frisell and John Scofield are among the other greats with whom Stern has collaborated. If his impressive biography isn’t enough to entice you to head to the Festival, I don’t know what is!

Friday, September 26 – 8 p.m.
Day three of the Guitar Festival features “South American Guitar” beginning with a performance by Berta Rojas from Paraguay and ending with Carlos Barbosa Lima from Brazil.

Saturday, September 27 – 3 p.m.
The University of Costa Rica’s Guitar Orchestra will perform first, followed by Mexico and Nicaraguan Orchestras taking the stage.

Saturday, September 27 – 8 p.m.
Tonight “European Guitar” will be featured with performances by Roemi Josusselme from France and Rafael Andujar from Spain.

Sunday, September 28 – 8 p.m.
The closing ceremony tonight will feature all of the guitarists as well as special guests Ivan Trinidad Sanchez from Mexico and Manuel Lopez from Costa Rica.

For more information and other artist biographies visit the Teatro Nacional Website:
http://www.teatronacional.go.cr/index.htm

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Filed under: Costa Rican Music on September 24th, 2008