On the road again...

In just a few short weeks, I’ll be packing my mallets again and this time heading somewhere warm…. COSTA RICA!

Thanks to a grant through the MacPhail Center for Music and the McKnight Foundation, I’ll be travelling in Costa Rica for a week to absorb everything I can about the tradition of marimba. The marimba is actually Costa Rica’s national instrument, so there is much to learn, hear, and see. My dear friend and past professor, Fernando Meza, is a citizen of Costa Rica and is spending the semester there on an amazing project transcribing traditional marimba music. This is a history-making project for the marimba; truly an unlocking of a chapter of music that the rest of the marimba world has never had access to. It’ll be an amazing opportunity to hear and meet some amazing musicians, sit in on their rehearsals, share meals and conversations, and jam together on the best instrument ever!

I’ll also be offering a few masterclasses in San Jose while I am there, sharing my own journey and approach with the instrument. I’ll make sure to add these to my calendar as soon as they are confirmed, just in case you happened to be in Costa Rica and want to join me!

Thank you to MacPhail and McKnight for funding my project. I can not wait to go!