Join us this October for the world premiere of Rex Isenberg’s piece, American solitude, sung by The Esoterics, in our concert series titled SPLINTERED & SCATTERED. This new piece, commissioned by The Esoterics, explores the causes and sources of loneliness in America; but the piece is also a call for hope. Through poetry and music, we can learn that “even in being alone, we’re not alone.”

Despite being consistently connected through devices in our modern world, many Americans find themselves lonely. In 2023, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory on an “epidemic” of loneliness. Isenberg’s piece tells the story of America’s history of solitude and individualism, through the great writers of this country, including texts from Thomas Jefferson, Claude McKay, T.S. Eliot, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Dorothy Parker. The opening movements of the piece draw from texts on America’s expansion west, to conquer the land through rugged individualism. Then follow urbanization and suburbanization, how communities were built around the nuclear family at the expense of connection and community cohesion. With the modernization of the post-World War I era, we find Isenberg’s setting of T.S. Eliot’s poem, The Hollow Men, which sheds light on the spiritual disillusionment and isolation after facing senseless death and violence.

Even with such darkness, there is much to be optimistic and joyful about. Rex’s piece reminds us that loneliness is not new in this country. Our nation was built in part by those willing to face the world alone, while still in the company of others. Many of the forces that facilitated America’s loneliness also made it a successful place to live and inspired countless immigrants in our history to arrive here and realize their “American dream.” In its conclusion, Isenberg’s piece encourages us to find strength and belonging as individuals, but to do so together.

Rex Isenberg is a Los Angeles-based composer, born in Philadelphia. Rex holds a BA in Music from Yale University and Masters and Doctorate degrees in composition from the Manhattan School of Music. Isenberg’s artistic works often explore the complexities of human relationships across different times and societal settings. He is also devoted to expanding and enriching the catalog of Jewish liturgical music by creating compositions that remain faithful to the original text but also resonate and renew meaning with modern audiences.

We are so excited to welcome Rex to Seattle for the weekend of these concerts! Please join The Esoterics for the world premiere of American solitude in SPLINTERED & SCATTERED!