What began as Director Eric Banks’s one-off ensemble assembled for his Master’s and Doctoral recitals in 1992 has developed into The Esoterics, an a cappella chorus specializing in the commissioning and performance of contemporary classical music inspired by philosophical, spiritual, and poetry texts. A four-time winner of the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for “Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music,” The Esoterics perform the works of 20th century champions—Europeans Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Ligeti, and Poulenc, as well as prominent Americans such as Barber, Copland, Glass, Elliott Carter and Lou Harrison—alongside numerous works infrequently recognized in the popular narrative of “contemporary” music.
The ensemble actively initiates the creation of brand new compositions through its collaboration with Composer-in-Residence Donald Skirvin, as well as its POLYPHONOS Competition, which facilitates the commissioning of three world premieres per year. To gain a more in-depth into the artistic motivations and programming of the ensemble, check out its podcast feed “Esocasts” at its web site or through iTunes.
The Esoterics Information
- Public Transportation: Depends on venue
- Handicapped Accessibility: Depends on venue, but generally good
- Performances/Programs: Approximately 15 per season
- Ticket Prices: $20 general admission at the door; $18 advanced admission purchased online via PayPal; $15 discounted admission for students, seniors, un(der)employed and differently able
- Donations: Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated.