“It’s not about sadness at all. It’s about happiness," said Maricruz Alvarado. She is a renowned Mexican artist who has built her career out of paper mache and clay. Alvarado has been creating artwork for ofrendas the past 25 years. She was commissioned to design the large shrine for Dia de Los Muertos at the San Diego Symphony in downtown. It has a musical theme featuring late members of her favorite band, La Cruz de Tijuana.
“We know that once we’re gone we’re going to go to another step of life. That's why on this date we wait for our people to come to our homes as spirits on our ofrenda," she said.
Inside the Jacobs Music Center on Saturday, there was a performance by the full orchestra designed for families and their children under 12. The concert began with a live reading of the children's book, "Because by Mo Willems". The story unravels the significance of how music changes lives.
The holiday concert is part of a family series of events designed to make the symphony more accessible and relatable to children.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
"We really are looking at featuring the full orchestra, living composers, a storybook, and making new memories with families," said Laura Reynolds, the San Diego Symphony's Vice President of Impact and Innovation.
