James Nathaniel Holland to perform at Costa Rica's Teatro Nacional

Anyone in Costa Rica on September 24 should be sure to reserve a seat for the Opera de Cámara's gala at the Teatro Nacional in San José. My friend James Nathaniel Holland, a professional classical musician, will be the featured invited artist.

James will perform "Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's Elisir D'Amor, the duet from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles, and an ensemble selection from L'Italiana en Algeri by Rossini.

For further information, contact james [at] casaholanda [dot] com

The Teatro Nacional is Costa Rica's premier theatrical venue and home to the country's National Symphony Orchestra. This spectacular Neo-Classical edifice was fashioned after the Paris Opera House and was completed in 1897, during Costa Rica's coffee boom era. It's a glory to behold, and worth a visit by day as a tourist site. But to fully appreciate its magnificence, you should really join local Costa Rican families for a classical performance. more >>

Costa Rica health authorities ban this year's 'Romeria' pilgrimage

Cartago's imposing Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, with its soaring all-wood interior painted in floral motifs, is home to Costa Rica's patron saint: La Negrita, or Virgen de los Angeles. It's also the goal of hundreds of thousands of Costa Ricans during the annual La Romería pilgrimage, each August 1 & 2, when superstitious Catholics journey to the cathedral to pay homage to an eight-inch-high black statue of La Negrita above the main altar.

As many as two million people participate in the pilgrimage during a two week period. Health officials believe that as many as 20,000 may become infected if the romeria were to take place (twelve Costa Ricans have died of swine flu since the epidemic began). more >>