La Llorona Festival-Tribute to Día de los Muertos

About this event

Starting with the legend of La Llorona, participants will examine traditional and contemporary music inspired by her story and explore themes of loss, family, and belonging.

Led by La Llorona storytellers and Denver-based saxophonist and composer Asia Fajardo-Diamond, the workshop demonstrates how ancestral legends evolve into song.

Highlights

• Discussion: Explore how memory, culture, and place inspire modern rhythms, melodies, and lyrics.

• Storyboarding Activity: Map out the emotional and musical journey of a personal or family story.

• Cultural Connection: Learn ways to preserve family heritage through music and storytelling.

In partnership with the Chicano Humanities & Arts Council and the Colorado Folk Arts Council

About the presenters:

~Felisa "LatinSoul" Hernandez~Vocalist • Songwriter • Author

Felisa Hernandez, known artistically as LatinSoul, is a Colorado-based vocalist, songwriter, and author raised between Colorado and Chihuahua, Mexico. Her work brings together Latin rhythms, soul, storytelling, cultural identity, and personal reflection.

In published interviews, Hernandez describes her experiences as an autistic artist with ADHD and severe dyslexia. She explains that she often experiences music and stories visually before expressing them through sound or words. Her reflections on motherhood, misunderstanding, resilience, and belonging inform the personal perspective she brings to her creative work.

Her book, Waking Up From Ego, explores awareness, identity, healing, and the movement from survival toward greater self-understanding. She also collaborates with her son and producer, Isaac Herrera, on original music. Her official artist page includes her recording of “La Llorona,” featuring El Javi.

At the festival, LatinSoul leads From Legend to Song, a vocal presentation exploring how interpretation and emotional expression shape the way audiences hear La Llorona.

~Asia Fajardo-Diamond~Composer • Saxophonist • Cultural Arts Educator

https://www.asiafajardodiamond.com/

Asia Fajardo-Diamond is a Denver-based saxophonist, composer, and cultural arts educator whose work explores family heritage, nature, individuality, and multicultural music. Raised in an artistic community, she draws on her family’s musical lineage and her experience as a traditional Mexica dancer.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Music from the University of Colorado Denver and a Master of Music from the University of Wyoming. Her work includes musical performance, composition, and arts education connecting cultural heritage with contemporary expression.

Her children’s music project Hummingbird’s Grandchildren honors her great-grandmother, Esther Lopez Dussart Fajardo, of Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood. The compositions carry forward lessons about compassion, cultural diversity, movement, creativity, and care for the Earth. In a Westword interview, Asia described the title composition as reflecting her great-grandmother’s struggle to create a better future for her family.

At the festival, Asia leads Ancestral Storytelling Through Sound, guiding participants to connect La Llorona’s emotional themes with family or personal memories and develop those connections into musical story maps.

~Elena Guerrero Townsend (la poeta) is known around the greater Denver area for her creative poetry. She frequents open-mics and poetry readings. Her poetry book, “Little Adobe House,” is coming out soon.

~Cecelia Lopez-Albertson

Denver Native

Enjoyed storytelling at Naaba Ani elementary school in New Mexico. Whether it’s La Llorona, Cucuy, or during St Patrick’s Day story told using an Irish accent.

From CHAC