• Group to Offer Three Performances from June 2 to 5, 2025
• Big Band to Participate in the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting
• Big Band of the National Institute of Music Embarks on Concert Tour in France

he Big Band of the National Institute of Music (INM) has begun its first international tour in France, where it will give three concerts at different venues and participate in the meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Founded in 2015, the Big Band is an ensemble of the National Institute of Music under the Ministry of Culture and Youth, performing popular music adapted to various musical styles.

The main objective of the tour is to represent Costa Rica at the reception for Costa Rica’s Presidency of the OECD, which will take place on Tuesday, June 3, at 6:00 p.m. Paris time, in France.

On June 2, in the afternoon (France time), the concerts began at the Casa de Educación de la Legión de Honor Training Center, a venue coordinated by Ana Elena Pinto, Costa Rican Ambassador to France, together with her team.

On June 2, in the afternoon (France time), the concerts began at the Casa de Educación de la Legión de Honor Training Center, a venue coordinated by Ana Elena Pinto, Costa Rican Ambassador to France, together with her team.

“From the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ), we consider these types of initiatives to be very important for strengthening artistic exchange ties with France—a diplomatic relationship that has lasted 177 years and remains strong. This tour by the Big Band is a joint effort between the Costa Rican Embassy in France and the MCJ to showcase Costa Rican talent, in this case through the National Institute of Music as our ambassadors on this mission, and to share the talent of Costa Rican musicians, composers, and arrangers with a different sound: the sound of the Big Band,” said Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture and Youth, who is participating as Head of Mission for the Big Band’s tour.

For her part, Laura Jiménez, Director of the INM, stated: “This is a great opportunity for our future professional musicians to gain international experience. A musician’s training must include theoretical instruction provided in the classroom, but practical experience is of great importance for completing their professional preparation.”

Below are the scheduled performances for the upcoming days:

• June 3, 6 p.m.: Performance for participants of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting
• June 4, 10 a.m.: Colegio Español Federico García Lorca
• June 5, 10 a.m.: Liceo Español Luis Buñuel

Costa Rican Repertoire. “The repertoire we will present in France consists of original compositions and arrangements of Costa Rican music, for example, ‘Soy Tico’ and ‘Amor de Temporada,’ as well as a Latin jazz piece by Ernesto Gallardo. We have undergone intensive preparation over the past two months in order to represent our country in the best possible way at such an important event,” commented Oscar Valverde, Director of the ensemble.

The INM Big Band is composed of young musicians aged 18 to 28, playing saxophone, trombone, trumpet, percussion, guitar, electric bass, and keyboard. This tour represents an invaluable opportunity for the professional growth of the musicians and for strengthening cultural ties between Costa Rica and France.