keen

Hope and Bravery: Shostakovich and Tomasi

Hamer Hall · Southbank

Event Info + Purchase Ticketswhatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au
🗓️Thu 15 Oct 2026 · +1 more dates
🎟️From $20
Live music

Dates & times

Thu 15 Oct · 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Sat 17 Oct · 2pm – 4pm

About

The two works on this program were written during the 1940s, during some of the most significant years and events in modern world history. One composer wrote their music during the height of wartime, and the other composer wrote looking back.

Shostakovich wrote Symphony No 7 during the Siege of Leningrad. Loudspeakers projected its early performance into the open air, offering a symbol of hope and bravery as the people were experiencing the tragedies of war and famine.

On the other side of the world, Henri Tomasi wrote his Saxophone Concerto in 1949 not long after he had served in the French Army directing a military marching band. Classical saxophonist Steven Banks will make his debut with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in this demanding solo role. American conductor Jonathon Heyward will bring these intense and impactful works to modern ears.

Getting there

Hamer Hall, Southbank

Directions ↗

Plan it on Keen

Keen is how mates lock in plans: see who’s free, who’s keen, and actually make it happen.

🗓️ Your mates’ free times, without asking 💬 One chat for the whole plan 🔔 A reminder on the day