Gene Chambers and Friends cordially invite you for an unforgettable night of American Soul classics live from Costa Rica to benefit 7 career musicians (also friends) who are facing serious health challenges: Felipe Contreras, Maria Vargas, Omar Guana, Rogelio Cisneros, Johnny Dixon, Wilkie Bolaños, and Donald Juarez.

At 8:00 pm CST, the doors of the Gene Chambers Sound Stage will open for the first time for Gene Chambers Live from Costa Rica: A Benefit for Musicians' Health & Wellbeing. Brace yourself for a fusion of American & Latin Soul music like you've never heard. 

Current Line-up of Performers:

Gene Chambers, Marfil, Isidor Ash, Tipi Royes, Sasha Campbell, Jorge Chicas, Claudia Peart, Imani Campbell, Gene Chambers, Jr., Cuzo, Johanna Rodriguez Navarro, Carolina Alvarez, Roy Rojas, Duo Star Moon (Vera and Monica) and More with Special Guest Performances by Omar Guana and Maria Vargas (2 of the 7 artists and beneficiaries of this campaign!)

Order of Events

5:30 pm - Cocktail Party & Reception-serving Caribbean Tapas, desserts, and drinks (includes 2-drink voucher!)

- Live music/entertainment

- Special door prizes

7:40 pm - Dedication of Gene Chambers Sound Stage*

8:00 pm - Show Time!

*The theater at the StarView pavillion in Barrio Otoya will be formally dedicated to Gene Chambers and named the Gene Chambers Sound Stage at 7:40 pm on Sunday, December 17, 2023.

The StarView pavillion is a cross between a Costa Rican cantina ("Bar La Linea") and a Hard Rock Cafe-style performance venue. With standing room only, it can be dance club for 350. For this special event, it will be transformed into an elegant supper club for a limited number of special guests (150).

The StarView is located in Barrio Otoya (del hospital Calderón Guardia 125m Oeste).

 Be a part of this historic event. Limited Tickets.

If you can't be with us live at the StarView in downtown San José, Costa Rica, watch from the comforts of your home! You will receive a link to stream the show live.

Gene Chambers and Friends Live from Costa Rica: A Concert For Musician's Health and Wellbeing! will begin promptly at 8:00 pm Central Time. Be a part of history in the making. This will be the first performance at the newly named Gene Chambers Sound Stage.

What better seat is there than your favorite chair?

Current Line-up of Performers:

Gene Chambers, Marfil, Isidor Ash, Tipi Royes, Sasha Campbell, Jorge Chicas, Claudia Peart, Imani Campbell, Gene Chambers, Jr., Cuza, Johanna Rodriguez Navarro, Carolina Alvarez, Roy Rojas, Duo Moon Star (Monica and Vera) with Special Guest Performances by Omar Guana and Maria Vargas (2 of the 7 artists and beneficiaries of this campaign!)

Support the Music Heals campaign at this level and receive: 1) a link to download the Music Heals 2023 theme song (composed especially for this campaign) and 2) a link to stream Gene Chambers Live from Costa Rica: A Concert for Musician's Health & Wellbeing from where ever you are!

The theme song will be performed before a live audience for the first time at the benefit. The studio recording will be made available after the show.

Costa Rican singer and internationally recognized songwriter has agreed to compose the theme song for the 2023 Music Heals Campaign. This song will capture the ethos of our campaign and be performed live for a global audience on Sunday, December 17, 2023, during the live broadcast.

"Writing a song is to carry a message with responsibility and a commitment to the public in giving content that transforms."

-- Berenice (9.2.18 Tico Times)

You will be among the first to have a link to stream our theme song before it is commercially available.

The theme song will be performed before a live audience for the first time at the benefit on December 17, 2023. The studio recording will be made available after the show.

Tell your friends your donation helped to commission a song!

Berenice's current project is called Nido and is available on all streaming platforms.

All contributions are meaningful to us.  $2.00 is the minimum contribution Fundrazr will allow.  We will memorialize all contributions to the Music Heals 2023 campaign, between $2.00 - $6.99, with an Honorable mention on our "You've Got A Friend in Gene" page.

Receive all 4 eBooks being offered in this campaign and receive:  1) a link to download the Music Heals 2023 theme song (composed especially for this campaign) and 2) a link to stream Gene Chambers Live from Costa Rica: A Concert for Musician's Health & Wellbeing from where ever you are!

The theme song will be performed before a live audience for the first time at the benefit. The studio recording will be made available after the show.

Please see individual book descriptions. All of the books in this campaign were handpicked by Eleventh Hour Publishing for the authors' dedication to art, culture, or healing. Thank you for allowing your work to benefit this campaign.

The e-books (Kindle format only) will be emailed to donors within 48 hours of your donation.

La Herencia por Felipe Contreras Orias, El Poeta de Nandayure, es el libro más nuevo que se presenta en esta campaña. Orias ejemplifica el lema “Nunca es tarde para inspirarse.¨

Book Description: Una bella historian anecdótica protagonizada por muchos personajes, Que se adentraron en las entrañas de nuestras inhóspitas montañas. No dude que de alguna for a used se sentirá identification con estas viviencias, ya que somos extensión del duro acontecer campesino durante los siglos XIX y XX, que culminó muchos años después con el desarrollo agropecuario de nuestro país.

Al comprar este libro, se donarán $10.00 a la campaña.

Gracias a Felipe Contreras Orias por permitir que su trabajo apoye esta campaña. Esto es especialmente significativo para nosotros ya que Felipe Contreras, su hijo, es uno de los 7 músicos de carrera que inspiraron esta campaña. Felipe fue líder de banda y director de orquesta de Gene Chambers.

Updated for 2023, Michael Miller's San José, Costa Rica: A Stroll Through the "Heart and Soul" of Costa Rica's Capital City is the #1 guide to downtown San José.  Most visitors make a beeline to the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica without taking the time to enjoy the rich history and culture of downtown San José. Miller is on a mission to change that.  Not only is he an excellent storyteller, he is an excellent photographer. 

Thank you, Michael Miller, for allowing us to use this outstanding tribute to San José  in this campaign. $15.00 will be donated to the campaign. 

The  e-book (Kindle format) will be emailed to donors within 48 hours of your donation.

The terrible motorcycle accident that threatened to define Joseph Woldu's life is simply not given the permission to do so in this inspirational memoir. From reading this book, you'll get a strong sense that Joseph Woldu has been a survivor his entire life and, much to the reader's good fortune, has lived to tell about it. A steady stream of hope, determination, and gratitude flows through the telling of this story. Joseph Woldu is, indeed, more than a survivor!

Thank you to Joseph Woldu for allowing his triumphant life story to be presented as a reward in this campaign. $15.00 will go to the Music Heals Campaign.

The e-book (Kindle format) will be emailed to donors within 48 hours of your donation.

The Black History Truth - Jamaica: The Sharpest Thorn in Britain's Caribbean Colonies was a labor of love for UK educator and author, Pamela Gayle, who finished this book during the pandemic.  Costa Ricans, Panamanians, and Nicaraguans of Jamaican heritage and critics of British colonial history will appreciate this groundbreaking book and other titles by Gayle. 

Thank you, Pamela Gayle, for allowing this book to be presented as a reward in this campaign that aims to bridge the gap between education and entertainment!

$15.00 will be donated to the campaign with every purchase of this eBook.

The e-book (Kindle format) will be emailed to donors within 48 hours of your donation.

¡Ganador del Premio Gourmand 2017!

Este maravilloso libro es en parte un diario de viaje de una mujer que viaja sola y en parte un libro de cocina! En sus viajes por Europa, la autora costarricense Sabrina Vargas-Jimínez encontró su yo interior en los paisajes de Italia, saboreando las comidas típicas y deliciosas de cada ciudad y recolectaría estas recetas para plasmarlas en el libro.

Sabrina Vargas-Jimínez es una artista visual y culinaria costarricense, profesora de arte, historia del arte y de las técnicas de cocina cotidiana con énfasis en la gastronomía mediterránea, ademas especialista en mosaico sobre vidrio y sobre cerámica, y de Bordado incorporando sus experiencias de viajes en sus clases.

Al comprar este libro, se donarán $16.00 a la campaña. (eVersion: Kindle format)

Gracias a Sabrina Vargas-Jimínez por permitir que su trabajo apoye esta campaña.

Michelle Vindas has a special place in her heart for the medical community surrounding Hospital Calderón Guarida. She was hit by a delivery truck when she was six years old and had to learn to walk all over again in this community. She still bears the scars of this accident and  believes it has plenty to do with her life's work making others feel good and look beautiful.

For everyone who purchases her hour-long Limpieza Facial Profunda at the full prize of $44.00 (22,000 colones), she will donate $20.00 to the Music Heals 2023-24 campaign.  

Her instrument is the ukulele (ukelele in Spanish.)

This perk is transferable to someone other than the supporter. Feel free to surprise a friend or a caregiver with this lovely gift and opportunity for self-care!

Aisha Michael is the co-founder of El Despertador, School Of Happiness, in Los Yoses, San José, Costa Rica. She is a body therapist with over 25 years of experience, who graduated in Traditional Chinese Medicine in Israel, was certified in Thai Massage in Chiang-Mai, Thailand and energy work in Pune, India.

Aisha's Ancestral massage incorporates traditional Chinese medicine, intentional Native American rituals, yoga stretches, in a sequence influenced by Thai massage. This pleasant yet powerful session of body therapy will take you to a state of deep relaxation, balance and serenity, on a mental, physical and emotional level.

This therapy takes place at the House of El Despertador in Los Yoses, San José, where Aisha invites you to disconnect from the stress of the outside world and reconnect with the peace of your inner world.

For your donation of $100.00, Aisha will in-kind provide an Ancestral Massage (1 hr) to the donor or a designated caregiver or medical provider.

Thank you, Aisha, for this generous contribution of your time and gift to the Music Heals campaign. $100.00 will go directly to the Music Heals campaign.

When someone is doing their heart's work—like being a loving caregiver for someone who  is fighting a disease, they really give all of themselves to help that person heal. Without even realizing it, they have sacrificed their personal and family lives in dedication to their loved ones and—in the case of many medical providers and healthcare practitioners—their patients! This large reward is in honor of those heroes- those who endlessly give to others. We have selected this very special 7 day all-inclusive healing retreat in the cloud forest of Nicaragua  to give back to them!

Harmonize is a Nature Immersion Yoga Retreat in a remote area in the North of Nicaragua. In this mountainous, rural town the community lives in deep connection with nature. With no WiFi or substances, participants spend their days climbing the mountains, swimming in the pure waterfalls, watching birds and sloths, and sharing time with one another. It's the perfect place to retreat and disconnect from the daily hustle, in order to reconnect with one’s true essence. The Harmonize Retreat awakens the senses and stirs the spirits of the participants. Recipients have a chance to be completely taken care of with:

• Daily yoga
• 3 nourishing meals a day
• Hiking
• Music and sound healing circles
• A heart-opening Cacao ceremony,
• A purifying Temazcal ceremony

A large focus of the retreat is also having a culture immersion experience including:

•  A farm tour
• Cooking class
• Clay Mala bead workshop with a local Nicaraguan family

The week is a great balance of adventure and rest, with experienced leaders, Amber and Jairo, holding a beautiful healing space throughout. Surely, it will be a chance for the recipient to fully reset and return back to their duties feeling recharged and filled with nature's healing vibrations.

Treat yourself, a caregiver, or medical provider you know to this restorative retreat, and Amber and Jairo will donate $150.00 to the Music Heals campaign!

In addition, the organizers of this retreat will provide:

- Ground transportation from the Costa Rica/Nicaragua border or the  Sandino International Airport to the retreat location in Macizo Peñas Blancas, Nicaragua. (a $200.00 savings)

- One night's hotel stay in Managua on January 11, 2023. (a $100.00 value).

Experience the Harmonize retreat with a partner or dear friend. Amber and Jairo will donate $300.00 to to the Music Heals Campaign for every donation at this level.

Description of Harmonize Retreat

When someone is doing their heart's work—like being a loving caregiver for someone who is fighting a disease, they really give all of themselves to help that person heal. Without even realizing it, they have sacrificed their personal and family lives in dedication to their loved ones and—in the case of many medical providers and healthcare practitioners—their patients! This large reward is in honor of those heroes—those who endlessly give to others. We have selected this very special 7 day all-inclusive healing retreat in the cloud forest of Nicaragua to give back to them!

Harmonize is a Nature Immersion Yoga Retreat in, Macizo Peñas Blancas, a remote area in the North of Nicaragua. In this mountainous, rural town the community lives in deep connection with nature. With no WiFi or substances, participants spend their days climbing the mountains, swimming in the pure waterfalls, watching birds and sloths, and sharing time with one another. It's the perfect place to retreat and disconnect from the daily hustle, in order to reconnect with one’s true essence. The Harmonize Retreat awakens the senses and stirs the spirits of the participants. Recipients have a chance to be completely taken care of with:

• Daily yoga
• 3 nourishing meals a day
• Hiking
• Music and sound healing circles
• A heart-opening Cacao ceremony,
• A purifying Temazcal ceremony

A large focus of the retreat is also having a culture immersion experience including:

• A farm tour
• Cooking class
• Clay Mala bead workshop with a local Nicaraguan family

The week is a great balance of adventure and rest, with experienced leaders, Amber and Jairo, holding a beautiful healing space throughout. Surely, it will be a chance for the recipient to fully reset and return back to their duties feeling recharged and filled with nature's healing vibrations.

Treat yourself, a caregiver, or medical provider you know to this restorative retreat, and Amber and Jairo will donate $300 to the Music Heals campaign!

In addition, the organizers of this retreat will provide:

- Ground transportation from the Costa Rica/Nicaragua border or the Sandino International Airport to the retreat location in Macizo Peñas Blancas, Nicaragua. (a $400.00 savings)

- One night's hotel stay in Managua on January 11, 2023. (a $200.00 value).