Costa Rica News – A Costa Rican jazz composer, Luis Munoz, won the Individual Grant Award, given by the Belle Foundation for Cultural Development, in the United States. He has been living in the States for 40 years.
The award goes to people engaged in art careers including music and theater, among others. Munoz, age 60, was surprised to win the award. He wasn’t expecting it because “For this type of award, one can not apply. The foundation selects the nominees and does not say who they are, so it’s a big impact when someone is notified of winning the grant,” he explained.
The jurors recognized his dedication and steady growth in his art field. Part of the grant was a sum of money, which the musician chose not to disclose the amount of. He did mention that it was in the thousands and that he will use it to finish his two new albums, “¾” and “Voice.”
Both albums should come out next year. They recorded ¾ a few days ago and it must now be edited. He praised his new group, “The trio of Luis Munoz” for their hard work on the ten songs. The other album, Voice, will have 11 songs. They are working slowly on this one, because it involves other domestic and foreign musicians, like the Costa Rican poet Osvaldo Sauma and the Costa Rican musician Jaime Gamboa.
