Leonard Bernstein (August 25, 1918 to October 14, 1990) was a world-renowned musician throughout his entire adult life. He served as music director of the New York Philharmonic and conducted the world's major orchestras, recording hundreds of performances. His books and the televised Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic established him as a leading educator.

Bernstein's compositions include Jeremiah, The Age of Anxiety, Kaddish, Serenade, Five Anniversaries, Mass, Chichester Psalms, Slava!, Songfest, Divertimento for Orchestra, Missa Brevis, Arias and Barcarolles, Concerto for Orchestra and A Quiet Place. He also composed for the Broadway musical stage, creating masterpieces such as On the Town, Wonderful Town, Candide and the immensely popular West Side Story. In addition to the West Side Story collaboration, Bernstein worked with choreographer Jerome Robbins on three major ballets, Fancy Free, Facsimile and Dybbk. Bernstein was the recipient of many honors, including the Antoinette Perry Tony Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Theater, eleven Emmy awards, the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and the Kennedy Center Honors.
 
This suite for concert band is made up of five numbers from the musical Candide, which premiered on Broadway in 1956. The satiric novella Candide by Voltaire was the basis for a political and musical satire with a libretto by Lillian Hellman and music by Leonard Bernstein. Candide as a musical has since had many reincarnations, but the sections of this suite utilize musical numbers that have remained virtually unchanged from the original Broadway production.