BIT 31 – May 8, 2009
Well, my last Concert in Grecia went well, and a lot of my friends were able to come out to it, including Pablo Ortiz (link opens in new browser window), who I invited up to play with me for the close of the Concert. It was truly a grand finale!
We had such a great time that we are now planning to do more Concerts together in near future. I am also planning to start hosting Guitar Competitions in conjunction with our Concerts, and Pablo is also enthusiastic about that possibility! I think it will be a great way to inspire people here, and especially the kids, to get into the Music & the Arts!
Now, I’d like to switch gears, and focus on the condition of music & the arts, in general, here in Costa Rica… a few weeks ago, I was invited to play at the Inauguration of the Community Games for Sarchi, Valverde Vega (our local region is called Valverde Vega).
As a result I was able to meet the Diputado (like a Congressman or Senator), for the area, Luis Antonio Barantes, the Alcalde (Mayor) for Sarchi, Victor Rojas Vega, and the National, and Provincial Directors of ICODER (the Costa Rican Institute for Sports, and Recreation), Gorge Muñoz & Johnny Gómez Vega, as well as the local ICODER Committee for Sarchi.
They were all very helpful, and excited about my proposal to promote Music & Culture in these outlying areas of the country. With the aim of inspiring the youth to take up Music instead of Drugs, and at the same time giving the local community a cultural outlet to bring their families to for a nice evening out on a regular basis!
It looks as though, at least hopefully, that the Diputado, Luis Antonio Barantes Castro, will have success in obtaining a Grant to build an Amphitheatre in Sarchi. That would be wonderful, as the neighboring Communities of Grecia & Naranjo would easily have access to it as well, thus making Sarchi a bit of a Cultural “hub” for the immediate area!
I am interested in contacting National, and International businesses, Banks, Foundations, and Governments for support towards investing in local communities, for the founding of Theater/Opera Houses, Concert Halls, and Cultural Centers. The challenge is not whether there are plenty of Cultural activities in Costa Rica… It is that they are almost exclusively held in the Capitol, San Jose.
That doesn’t help the local farming families in terms of having access to them… and there’s a lot of talent here that just needs to have an outlet! If you’re interested in talking with me about any of this, please feel free to contact me via my contact page. My hope is to get people involved in this so they can carry it on to completion once my Parents & I return to Europe, probably some time next year.
I am also in process of building my first Electric Guitar. It is based on the Strat-style, and I am modifying it to use an Acoustic bridge sensor for acoustic tone as well! I’ll write a bit more about this when I have more photos to post! I’ve also been busy with students, and guitar repairs, so that keeps me occupied, but I am trying to take more, and more time to play my guitar, and come up with new material… that’s been fun!
Take care, Buddy
