Robert Barker/University Photography

Ronald Retana holds a flute case at the Matapalo community center Jan. 13. Young music students from from that small Costa Rican town received 50 donated instruments from members of the Cornell Wind Ensemble. Copyright © Cornell University

The Cornell University Wind Ensemble has a humanitarian and cultural mission in Costa Rica beyond playing music -- the delivery of 50 donated, refurbished musical instruments to the young students of the Escuela Musica de Matapalo.

CU Winds members actively sought donations and collected the used and unwanted instruments throughout the fall 2005 semester. Hickey's Music of Ithaca donated its services in reconditioning the instruments for their journey to the waiting hands of the Costa Rican students.

The Matapalo music school was founded with a collection of marching band instruments in 1997. Its "A" band of 26 players performs at various regional fiestas. Most of its younger students today learn the basics of playing music on pianicas -- small, mouth-powered Yamaha keyboards -- and lyras, a lyre-shaped, smaller version of the bells used in marching bands.

"They're really cool -- you can get real dynamics out of the keyboard," said Cornell bassoon player Farid Ben-Amor '06.

However, the Matapalo music school has been operating with only about 30 instruments for 72 registered students, and the gift of trombones, saxophones, trumpets, violins, a French horn, clarinets, flutes and other instruments will help them practice and perform as a true ensemble.

Although the Cornell students had received about 80 instruments for donation, only 50 instruments were able to be successfully refurbished. The donation also included more than 20 books of musical repertoire for saxophone, trumpet and flute, and a score for "The Lion King."

After the CU Winds concert in Matapalo on Jan. 13, CU Winds music director Cynthia Johnston Turner, accompanied by local real estate developer Star Cunningham, the school's sponsor and town benefactor, announced the gift of the instruments. Up until that moment, the people of Matapalo had no idea what was to come, and they collectively took in a breath of "ooooh" and then clapped and cheered as CU Winds members started gathering up instrument cases and bringing them over to the Matapalo students, whose eyes widened in delight.

Oboeist Abbie Morgan '08, a physics major, said it was "the most powerful part" of the tour so far. "The whole place just filled with applause. I could see by their faces that everyone was so happy. Not just the kids, but the whole town."