Join The Esoterics this May for MANDALA:
Meditations on the wholeness of being
Loosely translated, the Sanskrit word mandala means "circle,"
but within a spiritual context, these circular images are
profound representations of wholeness and the centeredness
of the universe. For Buddhist monks, the mandala serves as
a meditation object as they create symmetrical images that
include a circle of eight Buddhas surrounding one unified
symbol of the Buddha. In a broader context, these circles
are a common element to several world religions, including
Hinduism, Sufism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Spiritual
unity within cultural diversity is the over-arching theme
of The Esoterics' upcoming concert.
In this retrospective concert, The Esoterics will revisit
several of its favorite new choral works inspired by
Eastern spirituality. In the repertoire of MANDALA, the
timelessness of Hinduism will be represented by the
mysterious verses from the Bhagavad Gita (Roger Nelson's
Attaining immortality) and the shimmering Sanskrit of
the Mundaka Upanishad (Diane Thome's All this).
New York composer Mark Adamo's vigorous Supreme virtue
and Minneapolis composer Stephen Paulus' tranquil
Meditations on Li Po will bring balance to the Taoist
portion of the program, while Donald Skirvin's luminous
Songs of enlightenment will be featured with John
Muehleisen's resplendent Watching the moon go down, based
on verse by the 12th-century Buddhist monk, Myoe Shonin.
The Esoterics' MANDALA will also include Three ethereal
Chinese poems by Swedish composer Karl-Erik Welin,
the iridescent Guang by Linda Waterfall, and Javdani:
Eric Banks' aquatic homage to the afterlife, an a cappella
palindrome that sets two quatrains by the Persian poet Rumi.
Please join The Esoterics for this meaningful exploration of
choral centeredness.
The Esoterics' MANDALA performance dates and locations
are as follows:
Friday • 4 May • 8 pm • Seattle
Queen Anne Christian Church • 1316 3rd Ave W
*OPEN DRESS REHEARSAL to benefit QACC's
"Above and Beyond" Roof Benefit Concert Series
Saturday • 5 May • 3 pm • Tacoma (NEW TIME)
Trinity Lutheran Church • 12115 Park Ave S (NEW VENUE)
Sunday • 6 May • 3 pm • Medina
St Thomas Episcopal Church • 8398 NE 12th St
Saturday • 12 May • 8 pm • Seattle
St Joseph's Catholic Church • 732 18th Ave E
Sunday • 13 May • 3 pm • West Seattle
Holy Rosary Church • 4139 42nd Ave SW
Tickets are $20 at the door, $18 in advance, $15 for students,
seniors, the un(der)employed, and the differently-abled. Discounts
are available for groups of five or more at $12 per person.
Active singers of any choral group may attend for only $10.
Advance tickets are available online at www.TheEsoterics.org
(through PayPal.com), or reserved by phone at 206.935.7779.
The Esoterics' Season 2007 has been made possible by grants
from 4 Culture, ArtsFund, The Horizons Foundation,
Meet the Composer, The National Endowment for the Arts,
The Seattle Foundation, City of Seattle Mayor's Office of
Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Washington State Arts Commission,
Classical King FM 98.1, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
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