On Tuesday, April 3rd, classical music lovers will be treated to a free concert at the Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San Jose. The repertoire today will include Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B Minor (the Unfinished Symphony) and The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, among others.

The Manuel Maria Gutierrez Symphonic Orchestra (OSMMG or MaMaGu in Spanish) is an ensemble featuring 166 musicians from 25 communities around the country. They will kick off their touring season with the concert at the Plaza de la Cultura at noon.

This OSMMG this year has invited guest musicians from eleven Latin American countries to perform. Students from Central American nations, as well as from Colombia and Ecuador will join the orchestra as they delight audiences in various parts of our country.

Right after wrapping up their free concert in San Jose, the ensemble will travel to San Pablo de Heredia, where they will play another free concert -this time at the Catholic Church of San Pablo. The performance will begin at 5:00 pm.

On Wednesday, April 4th, the OSMMG musicians will play under the hot sun in front of the municipal pier in Puntarenas, right on Plaza del Pacifico.

The OSMMG is named after Manuel Maria Gutierrez Flores, distinguished author of our National Anthem. The ensemble is part of our National Musical Education System (SINEM), which is dedicated to advance musical education by serenading different communities. The OSMMG has been around since 2009. The orchestra is directed by Maestro Ralph Rodriguez.

Sources: Radio Reloj and OSMMG Facebook.