The Esoterics

For the first concert of The Esoterics’ 2022 Season will be the North American premiere of Eric Banks’ "As palmeiras: The palms." Commissioned for the RAMOS Festival in Lisbon, The Esoterics premiered this piece on Palm Sunday in 2018 in Portugal. Four years after the European premiere, we are excited to share this choral sojourn with you on the weekend of Palm Sunday. The inspiration for "As palmeiras" came from the inital wondering: “Why the palms?” When Christians mark the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, why were palm fronds laid at his feet? What about the palm signified royalty? In his research about the symbolism of the palm tree, composer Eric Banks found, collected, and arranged 37 different poems, adages, proverbs, and texts from cultures around the world and through various eras of human history. The texts of "As palmeiras" traverse the entire globe longitudinally; the 37 vignettes start in California, head east, and end on the island of Tahiti. Banks’ composition is a fascinating study of an unlikely subject; setting texts from 33 countries in 24 different languages, "The palms" creates a ear-opening concert experience. We are so excited to be able to sing for you again! Please join us, if you can, for "The palms."