If the first thing you do when you get in your car is put on a playlist, you already associate music with going places, whether that’s a trip to the mountains or the grocery store. The point is the journey, not the destination. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra wants to take that journey one step further.
“Trips is an invitation to be curious,” says Jean-Marie Zeitouni, ESO’s music director. The new music series, Trips, is a curated experience, almost like a guided tour, but through sound rather than physical space. “I hope audiences will come ready to listen with open ears and perhaps leave hearing music in a new way,” Zeitouni says.
The first performance, Light Trip, “departs” Oct. 15, and seeks to explore the nature of daylight. Assistant Conductor Shah Sadikov takes the podium, leading the audience through solos, electronics and new orchestral sounds composed since the turn of the millennium. This trip also sees the North American debut of Huw Watkins’ Double Concerto for Viola and Cello.
The orchestra’s next auditory trip heads to the dark and snowy north, combining Lara Po’s Kaamos with Vincent Ho’s Arctic Symphony to create Arctic Trip, conducted by Zeitouni on Feb. 18. Building on that, the third trip goes further beyond the physical, out of light and darkness and into the subconscious with Dream Trip. For this journey, Zeitouni directs the orchestra through the music of Joe Hisaishi, who audiences might know from his work composing music for many Studio Ghibli films. (For Ghibli fans, music from Howl’s Moving Castle is on the concert’s setlist.) Dream Trip is set for May 27.
“Each concert takes us somewhere different, exploring new sounds, ideas and perspectives through the orchestra,” Zeitouni says. “You don’t need to know where the journey will lead.”
Founded in 1952, next year marks the ESO’s 75th anniversary. The new Trips Series is part of the orchestra’s rebrand, a concerted effort that began in May with the launch of a new logo.
A lower-case “eso,” the middle letter of which matches the curves of the North Saskatchewan River. The river is symbolic from many angles: both the heart of the community and a feature of the landscape signifying connection. That’s the same role ESO seeks to fill in the city.
“Music has always been about connection,” says Zeitouni. “Every time we step on stage, we’re building a connection with the audience.”
And 2027 sees the continuation of the Winspear’s expansion, an addition that includes new common spaces and the Music Box, a 550-person music hall designed to shift with the needs of a given performance. Tiered concert seating, a flat floor for dancing, or tables for cabaret — the Music Box is to be able to accommodate all of them. The common areas are designed to be more informal, reflecting the ESO’s philosophy that music is for everyone.
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Downtown | Winspear Centre | 4 Sir Winston Churchill Sq NW, Edmonton
Light Trip: On The Nature of Daylight
Thursday, October 15, 2026, 8:00 PM
Polar Trip: The Glorious Arctic
Thursday, February 18, 2027, 8:00 PM
Dream Trip: Concert Music of Joe Hisaishi
Thursday, May 27, 2027, 8:00 PM
