Costa Rican producer, engineer, and composer Jorge Castro, who was nominated last year to the Latin Grammy in the “Best Album of Classical Music” category, is presenting a new classical contemporary composition entitled MONA – an arrangement for string sextet in G Major. 

According to Castro, finding a place to record in these times of COVID-19 is no easy task, or even finding musicians willing to perform. However, he persevered until he was given an opportunity to record at the EGREM studio, in Cuba. El Sexteto Salas, with Ivan Salas, Daniel Guzmán Romero (Violin I), Maira Yeline Quintana Viset (Violín II), Katiuska Silva Eli (Viola I), Taine García Olea (Viola II) Orlando Hernández Lescille (Cello), Francisco Barrera Cruz (Contrabajo), under the direction of Damián Busqueta, traveled to the island to rehearse and to record under the remote supervision, from Costa Rica, of the composer. 

Castro expressed excitement to see his work recorded in such a legendary studio, where iconic artists like Nat King Cole, Chucho Valdés, Buena Vista Social Club, Pablo Milanés, and Silvio Rodríguez, have recorded before. “If this piece makes people stop for a bit,” Castro added in Spanish, “to breathe deeply and to move forward with renewed energy and love, then I’ve reached my objective.”

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