The Ergodos Festival MMX takes place from 2-3 April in Dublin

'The Ergodos Festival MMX is all about optimism,' write composers Garret Sholdice and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, artistic directors of the festival.

'The industry of men and women – their ability to make something – is an essentially positive force. Never before has there been both the necessity and opportunity to imagine again how something is done. The orchestra, that is a group of musicians working together, represents for us a microcosm of this potential. The soloist, too, is meaningful, simply for persevering alone.

' "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth forever." These words are millennia old, but they thread this festival, framing our first concert and permeating our second. Another Generation connects two distant ages, Baroque and modern. It finds roots in tradition, yet embraces a vision of new possibility. The Sun Also Rises is a work of film and music whose characters find strength in nostalgia, love and the eternity of nature, despite their desolation.

'Even adversity is a source of optimism, perhaps optimism in its most sincere form. We believe that, in spite of the hardships of our time, there is much to celebrate, much that is beautiful, much to give us hope, and much to be done.'

Ergodos Festival MMX, 2-3 April 2010
Project Arts Centre, Dublin. Book by 6 March and save €2 on every ticket.