Storyteller Joe Hayes returns for Halloween performance in Santa Fe

Joe Hayes will return to the stage in Santa Fe for a single Halloween performance. The storytelling veteran will join Greg Heltman and the Santa Fe Concert Band for a program titled More Phantoms, Fantasy and Legends.

The event is designed for families. The concert band will play music from popular films and television shows. Selected pieces include themes from Edward Scissorhands, Spider-Man, The Wizard of Oz, The Phantom of the Opera, Tales from the Crypt, Pirates of the Caribbean, and How to Train Your Dragon. Players will wear costumes, and attendees are encouraged to dress up as well.

Hayes will perform a 20-minute solo recitation of the La Llorona legend. He will tell the story before and after the band plays. Heltman, who founded the Santa Fe Concert Band and is a longtime musician and educator, will lead the musical portion. The two men first met in 1985.

Heltman recalled the initial connection between the two artists. He stated, “The Santa Fe Symphony was performing at St. Francis Auditorium, and we wanted to do something unique.” Heltman added, “I had heard Joe Hayes someplace; I don’t remember where, exactly. I called him and said, ‘Joe, how’d you like to do a bilingual version of Peter and the Wolf, Pedro y el Lobo?’” He noted that this interaction started a long-term relationship between Hayes, himself, and the Santa Fe Symphony at the time.

Heltman explained that the band cannot play during Hayes’ recitation. Hayes tells stories from memory, so musicians cannot know exactly when he will reach specific points in the narrative. Heltman said, “I wish that there was some sort of musical accompaniment or musical prelude and postlude that we could add to it that would be appropriate.” He continued, “And there really isn’t. I mean, the story stands on its own and is such a rich story and really a heartbreaking story, as many folk tales are.”

Hayes has performed the La Llorona tale for decades. He published a book with that title in 1986. He grew up in Benson, Arizona, where he first heard the legend from Mexican-American friends. Hayes described a childhood memory where a group of children went on a sleep-out by a pond. They thought they heard the spirit and rode their bicycles back to town in the dark. A patrol officer found them and led them safely home.

Hayes retired from full-time storytelling last year. He performed his final regular show on August 3, 2025. He is now 80 years old and approaching his 81st birthday. He said that retirement for a freelancer differs from standard office retirement. He explained, “I would often have spells with no work, especially before I started the summer series at the Wheelwright Museum. The difference is that at this point, though, I don’t have to try to get some action going.”

Hayes noted that his brain and body are slowing down. He finds satisfaction when people tell him they appreciated his work. He said, “It’s even more satisfying when the occasional email arrives from someone who remembers hearing me as a child decades ago. And thanks!” He tailors his storytelling to the audience, often sharing the La Llorona story with groups that have a Hispanic population.