Bassoonist, pianist, composer

Fernando Zúñiga is a prominent Costa Rican musician who earned his degrees at the University of Arizona, where he achieved the DMA in bassoon performance, at Baylor University, where he achieved the MM in bassoon and piano performance, and at the University of Costa Rica. , where he obtained his Bachelor's and Licenciatura’s degrees in bassoon and piano performance.

He has taken part in international engagements throughout his career, including the Conference of the International Double Reed Society (IDRS) in Buenos Aires, Austin, Ithaca, Redlands, New York, and Columbus, as well as recitals in various regions of the United States and Mexico, among other countries.

As a soloist, he has had the opportunity to perform with various orchestras and ensembles, including the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the Sewanee Festival Orchestra, the Baylor Symphony Orchestra, the Truman State University Symphony Orchestra, the Heredia Municipal Symphony Orchestra, the Cartago Symphony Orchestra, the Cartago Concert Band, the National Symphony Orchestra of Panama and the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Costa Rica (OSUCR), among others.

In addition, he has held the principal bassoon position at several orchestras, such as the University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra, the Baylor Symphony, the Baylor Wind Ensemble, the Waco Symphony Orchestra, the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Arizona Symphony Orchestra. He has also collaborated as a contrabassoonist with the Costa Rican National Symphony Orchestra and the Waco Symphony Orchestra.

In 2017, Fernando Zúñiga carried out the first record production for solo bassoon of Costa Rican music, entitled "Historias", which includes six works written especially for this occasion.

In an effort to experiment with new bassoon playing techniques, he founded the group "Electrofagot" in 2019. This group's goal is to use multi-effects pedalboards to include electronics into bassoon performance. The advanced bassoon students are asked to volunteer for this project, which is envisioned as a teaching endeavor.

Currently, Fernando Zúñiga works as a professor at the School of Musical Arts of the University of Costa Rica, and continues to stand out in the world of music with his interpretations and innovative projects.

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