Symphony Hall turns into a stage for marigolds, mariachi, and memory this week as the Boston Pops present their third annual Día de Muertos concert, with singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada, Mexican indie rock band Enjambre, and mariachi singer Veronica Robles all sharing the bill. The celebration lands Thursday, October 29, ahead of a Halloween-weekend run of Disney and Pixar's Coco in Concert Live to Film.
According to bso.org, this marks the Boston Pops' third straight year presenting its Día de Muertos program, building on a celebration the orchestra describes as showcasing the vibrancy of Mexican music. Conductor Keith Lockhart leads the Pops for the occasion, and as reported by CBS Boston, Day of the Dead is a multi-day celebration traditionally held on November 1 and 2, honoring those who have died.
Robles, who is based in New England, is returning for her third Día de Muertos concert with the Pops, the station notes. She told CBS Boston that the show gives Massachusetts audiences something different while giving orchestral fans a chance to experience culture through music, adding that a listener does not need to understand the language to feel the emotion in the music. Estrada, for her part, pointed to Boston's sizable Latino community as part of what makes the night resonate.
A Veracruz Voice Joins the Bill
Estrada, a multi-instrumentalist from Veracruz, Mexico, blends indie folk, jazz, and Latin American traditions in her work, per her artist profile on bso.org. Her 2022 debut album, Marchita, earned her the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist, the same profile notes. She shares the stage this year with Enjambre, the Mexican rock band joining the bill alongside Robles, according to a BSO press release announcing the 2026-27 season lineup.
The pairing of touring artists with the Pops' orchestral setting has become something of a signature for the celebration. When the Pops launched the program in 2024 with its first-ever Día de Muertos concert, the bill included works by Mexican composers Rodriguez, Gabriela Ortiz, and José Pablo Moncayo, as detailed by the Boston Globe. That inaugural program also featured a suite from Pixar's Coco and marked the Pops debuts of Robles and her Mariachi Ensemble, the paper reported.
Coco Takes Over for Halloween Weekend
Once the Día de Muertos program wraps, the Pops pivot to family-friendly fare with Disney and Pixar's Coco in Concert Live to Film, set for Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31. The production, licensed by Disney Concerts, follows Miguel as he journeys into the Land of the Dead and uncovers his family's history, according to bso.org's event listing.
Lockhart described Coco as a universal story about the Day of the Dead, about what people leave behind and whom they remember, per CBS Boston's report. The film's themes echo the broader celebration's focus on life, death, and remembrance that anchors the Día de Muertos concert earlier in the week.
Boston is not alone in pairing Coco with Día de los Muertos programming this season. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra scheduled its own Coco live-to-film concert featuring Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México performing the score live, according to bsomusic.org, while Lyric Opera of Chicago has staged Coco in Concert Live to Film as a production drawing on Mexican culture and Día de los Muertos traditions, per Lyric Opera of Chicago.
