Foundation of first Costa Rican city
Conjunto Garçimuñoz is a vocal and instrumental ensemble composed of a variable group of persons who have gathered together for almost fifteen years to perform and play Renaissance music, specially that of Spain, Italy and Colonial Latin America. In 1992, the group was called Conjunto Garçimuñoz in memory of the first Spanish city founded in Costa Rica in 1561 in the Central Valley, between the present Desamparados and San Antonio. This urban centre was the base of our nationality and spirit of simple and plain coexistence and struggle.

The members have participated in seminars, concerts and master classes with foreign groups like Fontegara from Mexico and Estudio Músicantigua from Chile and also with groups outside Costa Rica. They have studied instrument making at the International School of Lutherie from Cremona, Italy; musicology at the Pavia University; complementary lute studies at the Istituto Civico Musicale da Pavia and at Macaslester Collegium Musicum (Macalester College, St Paul, Minnesota, USA), singing at the Music School from the University of Costa Rica. The members of the vocal quartet are long experienced since they have participated in the National Symphony Choir, Coro de la Paz, Music School Choir of the University of Costa Rica and the Metropolitan Cathedral Choir.

The instrument players have belonged to other ensembles like Collegium Musicum of San José, Costa Rica, Capella Hispana Antiqua of Costa Rica, Macalester Collegium Musicum, and Conjunto Universitario de Música Antigua. They have performed at the Salón Dorado of the Costa Rican Art Museum, the National Theatre of Costa Rica. Besides the public concerts, they have offered educational recitals at the University of Costa Rica, the Costa Rican Institute of Technology and rural communities.

Read this article that appeared in LA NACION in december, 1997. A CD is to be released by the end of this year.

Garçimuñós performs its music preferably in small halls.