Join us for the second evening of the Jazz Sanctuary series with Costa Rican pianist and composer José Soto, presenting his award-winning project The Ancestral Call — a powerful fusion of jazz, improvisation, and visual art inspired by ancestral traditions.

First premiered at Lincoln Center in New York in 2023, the project has received international recognition, including the Global Music Awards Gold Medal, NPR’s Best Alternative Latin Music list, Jazziz Editor’s Choice, and features in NBC New York and People Magazine.

Alongside María Amalia Quesada Chavarría (voice) and Ivanna Cuesta (drums), Soto leads an ensemble that draws on the ancestral knowledge of Costa Rica’s Bribri Indigenous community. The Ancestral Call blends jazz, free improvisation, and Latin American rhythms with Bribri spoken word, enhanced by live visual projections from Costa Rican artist Pablo Vargas. The performance creates a deeply immersive, multidisciplinary experience that preserves endangered cultural heritage while opening new paths for artistic and personal expression.

Performers:

María Amalia Quesada Chavarría – Voice
José Soto – Piano
Ivanna Cuesta – Drums

About Jazz Sanctuary
Hosted in the breathtaking High Victorian Gothic setting of United Parish, Jazz Sanctuary is more than a concert series — it is a gathering of community through music and art. By attending, you are helping to revitalize the church’s historic performance spaces, preserving them as a hub for culture and connection in Brookline for generations to come.

Artist Bio

Jose Soto is an award-winning Costa Rican pianist, composer, and educator whose career spans international performances and collaborations with renowned artists including Danilo Pérez, Luciana Souza, Chico Pinheiro, George Garzone, and Eddie Daniels. Trained at the National University of Costa Rica, New England Conservatory, and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, he has toured across Latin America, the United States, and Europe. He currently serves on the faculty at Berklee College of Music, the New England Conservatory, and Curry College in Massachusetts.