Reported by Prof Tinus Botha
Following my concert tour with Mr Thomas Erlank last year to Costa Rica and Colombia, I returned to the beautiful campus of the Universidad de Costa Rica in San José from 24–31 January 2026 for the 10th Encuentro de Pianistas Costa Rica (Costa Rica Pianists’ Meeting). Pianists from all over attended the celebration of Spain’s musical legacy across the world. I performed a programme consisting of sonatas by Scarlatti (a resident of Spain for many years) and Padre Antonio Soler, juxtaposed with new works with Spanish influences written for the event by South African composers Alexander Johnson and Chris van Rhyn. Manuel Matarrita’s Milonga para una mano was the final piece on the programme.
One of the many exciting events at the encuentro was a group performance of the solo piano works of Manuel de Falla on the 150th anniversary of his birth. This concert took place at the magnificent Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica on a brand new Fazioli concert grand piano.
This was a wonderful opportunity to meet and befriend fellow pianists from the global South, to learn much more about Spanish (and Spanish-inspired) piano music, and to explore possible new avenues of collaboration with pianists from Latin America. My heartfelt thanks to Drs Manuel Matarrita, Rebeca Ordóñez-Rodríguez, and Jorge Briceño González for giving us all this wonderful opportunity. I look forward to many more collaborations in future!
* Return to Costa Rica
