Mackey Concerto for Soprano Saxophone

August 2022.

The National Band of San José represents the capital province of Costa Rica and conducts the majority of the diplomatic musical functions for the Presidency including the receiving of ambassadors’ credentials and remembrance services. Comprised of professional musicians including many with graduate degrees from universities and conservatories in the United States and in Europe, this wind band performs a range of literature extending from modern works for band through the standard 20th-century canon, 19th-century works by Costa Rican composers, and popular music arranged for wind band by Costa Rican arrangers.

For this concert, Rafael programmed American composer John Mackey’s Concert for Soprano Saxophone. Maestro Ricardo Chaves Cordero previously served as the saxophone professor at the University of Costa Rica and now serves as the Academic Director for the national conservatory, the Instituto Nacional de Música (note: content updated in 2023). His technical mastery and genuine warmth as a musician were infectious for the performers and the audience alike. Works by Erika Svanoe and Reinaldo Moya were included in this performance, as well as some popular works for symphonic wind band.