Davies Symphony Hall is about to glow with marigolds, music and color. The San Francisco Symphony presents its 19th annual Día de los Muertos celebration on Saturday, November 7, and this beloved tradition keeps getting better with age.
Venezuelan-born conductor José Luis Gómez makes his San Francisco Symphony debut leading a vibrant program of traditional and contemporary Latin American music. Audiences will hear Carlos Chávez’s exciting Toccata, Evencio Castellanos Yumar’s El río de las siete estrellas, and the irresistibly rhythmic Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez. Mallorcan violinist Francisco Fullana also makes his Symphony debut, performing Márquez’s Folia Tropical from Fandango for Violin and Orchestra.
One of the night’s highlights is a world premiere: Luis Emilio Farfán Carrillo’s El Baile de la Catrina, performed on the salterio — Tlaxcala’s emblematic instrument — by David Hernández Pozos and Claudio Israel Vázquez Herrera of the Ensamble Típico del Estado de Tlaxcala. Dancers from Casa Círculo Cultural will weave through the concert, adding movement and color to the stage.
This year’s celebration is dedicated to the Mexican state of Tlaxcala, and longtime collaborator Martha Rodríguez-Salazar has curated stunning lobby installations by local artists, including El Bosque de las Luciérnagas Mágicas, an interactive firefly forest where visitors can place messages to loved ones.
The fun starts at 1:30 p.m. with family activities: dazzling live catrinas and catrines for photos, sugar skull decorating with artist Irma Ortiz, face painting, paper-flower making, and mask and candle workshops. And here’s the best news for families: tickets are 50% off for children and young adults under 18. ¡Nos vemos en Davies!
Photo: San Francisco Symphony
