Meet David Pierce | creator & executive director of Denton’s Day of the Dead Festival

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Pierce and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“it doesn’t have to be easy, it just has to be worth it.” That really sums up how working on a festival and preparing a halloween musical at the same time feels. It’s never easy, and just about when I feel it’s time to throw in the towel, the magic happens. I’m also partial to the Mother Teresa quote, “not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love/in a great way.” That’s how Denton’s Day of the Dead festival started, really. It was only a small block, on Industrial St, right off the Denton Square. Maybe 1000-1500 people were there, but man, you could feel the magic. And it’s just grown and grown. So, I guess in a way, this ‘small’ thing has turned into a ‘great’ thing!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a composer and a musician. I write music for lots of different people in lots of different settings, and I get most excited about writing music that I know will be as fun to play for the musicians as it is for an audience to hear. I was a teacher for 10 years, and early on, I realized I enjoyed writing music for my students as well as teaching music. I started writing full time in 2007 and never looked back! Currently, I write a lot music for professional jazz groups, symphony orchestras, recording projects, and lots of school groups such as concert, jazz, and marching bands, as well as choirs and orchestras. I am also the Executive Director of Denton’s Day of the Dead festival, and that definitely keeps me busy year-round with planning, grant writing, fundraising, and all of the other things that go into such a big event.

I am incredibly proud of many accomplishments, but I might be proudest about my halloween musical, “Cirque du Horror,” a ‘delightful descent into the macabre,’ written for children and adults alike. I wanted to create a musical celebration of what halloween meant to me as a kid. The candy corn and trick or treating, dressing like a vampire, ghost or a mummy, and just having fun. So, in 2009 I created “Cirque,” and it came to life because of the efforts of many amazing visual and performing artists. It’s a wonderful collaboration, and I get to do it every year! The creation of Cirque du H directly led to the festival. In the same way I wanted to create a halloween show that was unlike anything else, I wanted to make a fall festival that was unlike any festival! It’s not just halloween, or Dia de Muertos, or harvest, but all of the hallmarks of autumn in the American Southwest.

It definitely was/is not easy. I’ve had to relearn how to be a creative once I started being one as a full time job, then once again when I became a dad (my son is now 7). Just like many people and especially many artists, I’ve had plenty of money woes, a lot of self doubt and worry, and have felt many times like I made the wrong decision. But like I said, then some magic happens, and I realize that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. Being the ED of Denton’s Day of the Dead festival is work! Talk about putting your eggs in a basket! All the planning, all the emotional investment into an event that could all be cancelled if the weather is terrible. It’s crazy, but at the same time, it’s worth it. I mean, think of it : there wasn’t a fall fest of this kind in Denton before this, and now the city is forever changed. It has truly become a “thing” that people look forward to and plan on every year. And I see the smiles, and the “thank you’s,” and the joy, and it makes it all worth it.

What do I want the world to know about my story/brand? Well, that’s an interesting question…all I am trying to do is bring a little light into the world, you know, leave it a bit better than I found it, sort of a thing. It’s like how Cirque du Horror has led to Denton’s Day of the Dead festival. I never planned that, but it just happened. But once I was in the middle of all of it, I realized this is also what I’m supposed to be doing now. It’s a lot like my music. Yes, I like to nerd out on the “headiness,” or maybe how intellectual something I write is, but what I care most about is whether or not my art makes people happy. And that is exactly how I want the community of Denton and all attendees to feel when they go to Denton’s DOD fest. It’s meant to be for the entire community. For the old and the young, and hopefully it exists to provide some happy moments for all who attend.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
That’s tough. Denton keeps growing, evolving and changing. There are always new places popping up that are absolutely amazing. Let’s see, for my week long visit, we would make sure to stick around downtown Denton. So many wonderful places to shop and eat, grab a beer at, or catch a show. Maybe something like : breakfast at Cafe Loco, 7-Mile, or Casa Galaviz, retro video games at “Free Play” are a must, then throw a stone in the air and it will probably land on an amazing restaurant : Chestnut Tree, Roosters, food trucks – oh the food trucks!, Komodo Loco or, if we are lucky, we’d score reservations at Keiichi or Osteria il Muro. Then places like : East Side Social Club, Denton County Brewery, Bearded Monk, Black Fox, Union Bear, Oak St, Miss Angelines, all offer great hometown beer hangs! Catch shows at Dan’s, Paschall’s, Andy’s, Steve’s Wine Bar, and maybe have a cocktail on the rooftop of LSA while enjoying the square all lit up at night.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Well, man, that’s hard to narrow a list like this one down. For my musical career, it’s an easy answer : my family. I get lots of never ending support and encouragement from my wife’s side and my side of the family. Every moment I’m ready to give up, someone in my family has been there to pick me up.

And for Denton’s DOD / Cirque du Horror, the festival board of directors, and my creative team in Cirque du Horror are the best of the best. They believe in my dream, and work year round to keep it alive. I rely on their expertise in so many areas, and they always deliver. They are, without a doubt, some of the most genuinely amazing people that I get to call “friends.”

Website: www.dentondayofthedeadfestival.com / www.cirqueduhorror.com

Instagram: @Dentondodfest @cirqueduhorror

Twitter: @DentonDODFest

Facebook: @Denton’s Day of the Dead Festival

Other: official hashtags : #DentonDOD2024, #CoffinRaces2024, #DODF2024

Image Credits
crediting Ed Steele in some (watermarked) and the rest taken by me/my fam