The Chicago Sinfonietta has made its Día de los Muertos concert a popular annual tradition. Día de los Muertos is a time to remember loved ones we have lost. The Sinfonietta celebrates the music of Latin American composers during its Día de los Muertos concerts. It also gives a New World twist to Old World classics like Mozart’s Requiem. Since the Requiem is a special Mass for the dead, singers wear special masks inspired by calaveras (skulls) and calacas (skeletons) that are important symbols in Día de los Muertos celebrations.
Mozart died before he finished composing his Requiem. Why not remember him – along with our loved ones – with a Día de los Muertos performance? Below, watch maestro Hector Guzman conduct the Roosevelt University Conservatory Choirs in a rehearsal of the “Dies irae” from Mozart’s Requiem for the Sinfonietta’s 2017 Día de los Muertos celebration, produced in collaboration with NewMoon Chicago and Cuerdas Clásicas.
