This Friday, December 8, the holiday season will be welcomed with the long-awaited Christmas Concerts, presented by the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica (OSNCR) and the National Symphonic Choir. The performances will take place in the community of San Isidro de Coronado, where 140 talented artists, including musicians and choristers, will unite under the skillful direction of the talented Costa Rican conductor Ramiro A. Ramirez.

Concert Season

In all, six presentations will be held in four provinces of the country, in public spaces and free of charge to the public. Schedule of concerts is as follows:

  • Friday, December 8: 7:30 p.m. San Isidro de Coronado Church.
  • Sunday, December 10: 11:30 a.m. St. Raphael the Archangel Parish, Atenas.
  • Tuesday, December 12: 7:30 p.m. Convention Center de lo Alto, San José de la Montaña, Barva.
  • Wednesday, December 13: 7:30 p.m. Alajuela Cathedral.
  • Thursday, December 14: 7:30 p.m. San Diego de Tres Rios Catholic Church, La Union.
  • Friday, December 15: 7:30 p.m. San Miguel Arcángel Parish, Escazú.

The musical program this year will feature compositions by renowned artists such as Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Costa Rican composer Carlos Guzmán. Also, the national soprano María Jesús Castro will perform as guest soloist.

These Christmas concerts are a beautiful way to conclude a musically intense year for the Orchestra and Choir. We look forward to bringing the public closer to exquisite selections from the repertoire, with works by Chabrier, Tchaikovsky, Handel and the touching Costa Rican Christmas carols by Brunilda de Portilla orchestrated through Carlos Guzmán

 Ramiro A. Ramírez

Christmas, Voices & Melodies in Celebration

The Symphonic Choir, which anticipates its fiftieth anniversary in 2024, will offer a special preview by performing two movements from its 1974 debut, Schubert’s ‘Mass in G Major,’ a seasonally appropriate piece celebrating messianic promises. For her part, the soprano María Jesús Castro will delight the audience with a movement from Mozart’s ‘Great Mass in C minor’, which recounts the incarnation of Christ through the Virgin Mary.

Christmas Concert – National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica (OSN).
Conductor: Eddie Mora Bermúdez

Christmas concerts are always highly emotional, providing a moment of reflection and celebration. Most of the activities offered by the National Music Center are free of charge and are aimed at the entire Costa Rican family. We extend an invitation to join not only these concerts, but also the events planned by the orchestra and choir in 2024, a year that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Symphonic Choir, with three seasonal concerts and the return of opera.

Ricardo Chaves Cordero, alternate general director of the National Music Center.

The rehearsals for the Christmas concerts are scheduled for December 5-8 at the Centro Nacional de la Música (CNM) in Moravia. Together, this concert series will mark a total of 79 OSNCR performances in 2023, with 52 of them offered free of charge to the public.

For more details, please contact the Artistic Promotion and Public Relations Unit at [email protected] [email protected].

Sensorial Sunsets