THE ESOTERICS
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Mission Statement
The Esoterics is a Seattle-based vocal ensemble that is dedicated to performing and perpetuating contemporary a cappella choral settings of poetry, philosophy, and spiritual writings from around the world. While cultivating artistic expression and cultural understanding among its singers and audience alike, The Esoterics aspires to reflect the beauty, power, and significance inherent in the music of our time.
About This Cause
Now in its third decade, Seattle’s most innovative choral ensemble has drawn international praise for its superb performances of contemporary a cappella masterpieces, for inspiring and creating new unaccompanied settings of poetry, philosophy, and spiritual writings by composers around the world in myriad languages, and for infusing elements of the literary, theatrical, and visual arts into the typical concert experience. In early 1992, Eric Banks brought together a group of singing friends to perform his Master’s and Doctoral recitals in Choral Studies at the University of Washington. After Banks’ recitals were completed, the group wanted to keep singing together, so Banks chose a name for his ensemble based on the Greek adjective εσοτερικος – which describes a close-knit community and the secret knowledge that its members share. Since incorporating with this name in 1993, The Esoterics has performed hundreds of concerts throughout the United States, commissioned hundreds of choral world premieres, and has mastered many of the most virtuosic choral works of the last century in concerts. Under its own recording label, Terpsichore Records, The Esoterics has released twenty CD recordings to date, each distributed by NAXOS of America. The ensemble has been honored to compete in the 2000 Cork International Choral Festival (Ireland), the 2001 Certamen Coral de Tolosa (Spain), and the 2006 Harald Andersén International Choir Competition in Helsinki (Finland). Always on the search for the next choral masterpiece, The Esoterics inaugurated its annual choral composition competition, POLYPHONOS, in 2006. Through this initiative, The Esoterics awards commissions to three composers from around the world each year. As well, The Esoterics has demonstrated its continuing commitment to choral education as the only choral ensemble in Washington State that grants continuing-education credit to its members who teach in the public schools. In recognition for its efforts in choral education and innovation, The Esoterics has been honored four times with the ASCAP and Chorus America Award for the Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music. The Esoterics has been honored to receive grants from the arts commissions of Washington State, King County, and the City of Seattle, as well as funding from the Seattle Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Esoterics is a proud member chorus of ACDA (the American Choral Directors Association), Chorus America, IFCM (the International Federation for Choral Music), and GALA (the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses).