07/09/2022

The Masters in Jazz, from National University of Costa Rica, is the first one in Central America. 17 students are part of it, some outside Costa Rica. It’s a program that lasts 2 years and, in 2024, they will re-open for the second generation. In case people are interested to sign in, they have to contact Josh.

Josh Quinlan is the coordinator of the program and he teaches theory, composition, ensembles, and analysis. Also, the Faculty has 4 teachers for saxophone, flaute, piano and drums.

Concert wise, the saxophonist plays constantly in Costa Rica, where he has two steady nights that have been going on for four years each. In October, he’s going to New York to record a jazz album; also, in September, he’s going to perform at a recital for classical music; and, lastly, in December he will be touring in Mexico.

Regarding the recital mentioned in the previous paragraph, Josh said the following: “It is a recital in the Municipal Museum in Cartago, Costa Rica. It is a part of a music series they do there every month. We are playing many transcriptions of classical music written for other instruments, including Brahms Sonata in Eb for clarinet; Elegy, for viola, from Glasunov and the sonata for cellos by Rachmaninoff. It should be fun and difficult! It is my project with my girlfriend Sharon Villegas, who is an amazing classical pianist”.