Essendon Symphony Orchestra – Best of All Worlds

Essendon Symphony Orchestra – Best of All Worlds

Sunday, 30 August at 2:30pm

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Prices
Adult $25
Child (14 and under – must be purchased with an adult or concession ticket) $20
Student $20
Concession $20
Family (Applies to 4 people. Either 2 Adults/2 Children or 2 Adults/2 Concession) $75 ($18.75 each)
MobTix $10

Please note all bookings by Non-Members will incur a $4 fee per transaction. This transaction fee is payable whether booking tickets online, over the phone or in-person.

Best of all Worlds ESO Hero

About the show

What happens when composers seek inspiration beyond their own time and place? The Best of All Worlds brings together music shaped by cultural exchange, inherited ideas, and creative reinvention—echoing Voltaire’s famous question at the heart of Candide.  

Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide revisits Voltaire’s Enlightenment satire through vibrant mid-century American musical idioms, bursting with wit and theatrical energy. In contrast, Lili Boulanger’s D’un Soir Triste and D’un Matin de Printemps—written near the end of her brief but remarkable life—trace opposing emotional worlds. The former unfolds with sombre intensity, the latter sparkles with vitality, together revealing a distinctly personal, forward-looking voice shaped by impressionist sensibilities and the turmoil of the Great War. Czech composer Antonín Dvořák’s symphony “From the New World”—voted no 17 in the ABC’s 2026 Classic 100—responds to cultures he encountered in America, transforming their spirit through a European lens.  

Essendon Symphony Orchestra is pleased to welcome new Musical Director and Conductor, Dr Kathleen McGuire, with an exciting program which celebrates the idea that music—like optimism itself—is often forged by drawing on the best of all worlds. 

  • Show duration

    Approximately 90 minutes, no interval.

  • Content warning

    No content warning.

  • Accessibility

    Wheelchair spaces are available, subject to booking. Please make your booking via phone on 9243 9191 to reserve a wheelchair designated spot.

    For more information about accessibility at the Clocktower Centre please see here.

The safety of everyone is important to us. Please ensure that you are familiar with the current Victorian guidelines for attending indoor events. You can view our updated Conditions of Purchase and Conditions of Entry. Closer to each production, all ticket holders will be sent up to date information on the current guidelines.