California Center for the Arts, Escondido is hosting a weekend of events to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the traditional Mexican holiday honoring the lives of those who have passed. Beginning in 1995, this rapidly growing event has become a free community tradition for North County residents and beyond, bringing in over 1,500 residents last year.

   On November 1st from 6-9 p.m., the community is invited to create memorials in memory of loved ones within the artistic frames of “Muerte de todos ofrenda de participacion (Death Comes to Everyone: A Participatory Offering),” an artwork in the Center Museum’s permanent collection crafted by the famed Mexico City artist, Eloy Tarcisio.  Guests will enjoy live music, entertainment, art projects for all ages, and traditional Mexican refreshments including Mexican hot chocolate and pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread).

   This year’s Día de los Muertos celebration has been expanded to include two additional events: the world premier of “Misa Azteca” on Saturday, October 30th at 8:00 p.m. in the Center’s Concert Hall, and an “Evening with John Phillip Santos” on Monday, November 1st at 7:30 p.m. in the Center Theater.

   To kick off the weekend, Southwestern College will take the stage on Saturday, October 30th to present the world premier full orchestration of Joseph Julian Gonzalez’ “Misa Azteca” – A concert piece based on the proper and common of Roman Catholic High Mass mixed with verses from post-Columbian Aztec verse (Cantares Mexicanos). By blending Latin and Aztec verses along with various instrumentals, Joseph Julian Gonzalez describes this concert piece as one that “resolves the tensions commonly associated with two seemingly irreconcilable cultures. The theme of complementarities that overrides the assumption that these two worlds must remain disparate, binds everyone in the mutual quest for unity and peace.”

   On Monday evening during the Día de los Muertos festivities, the highly publicized author, John Phillip Santos will read selected works from his publications offered as a free reading to the public. Known as the first Mexican-American Rhodes Scholar to study at Oxford, John Phillip Santos received numerous awards including the Academy of American Poets’ Prize from Notre Dame, the Oxford Prize for fiction, and was a finalist for the National Book Award for this first memoir, “Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation,” which he will read this night along with the sequel, “The Farthest Home is in an Empire of Fire” and his first book of poems, “The Farthest Home is in an Empire of Fire.”

   In addition to offering vibrant live shots of the community celebrating this traditional holiday, there are also opportunities for profile pieces and advance stories on the other two major events happening along with Día de los Muertos.

   For more information on any of these events, visit www.artcenter.org or call the Ticket Office at (800) 988-4253.