The Esoterics

For Immediate Release: January 18, 2008

SEATTLE - The Esoterics opens its 15th anniversary season with KANON, sung in memory of slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and featuring the American premiere of Arvo Pärt's Kanon pokajanen, a concert-length setting of the Orthodox liturgy, and the world premiere of Eric Banks' Vitam impendere vero, February 2 - 3 and 9 - 10 at venues in Seattle, Tacoma and Lynnwood.

In KANON, The Esoterics will perform these two works in tribute to Anna Politkovskaya who was killed in her Moscow apartment building in 2006. An outspoken reporter and human rights activist, Politkovskaya was known for her coverage of the conflict in Chechnya as well as her opposition to Russian president Vladimir Putin. In response to her tragic death, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt made a significant global pronouncement: that every concert performance of his works in the ensuing year would be dedicated to Anna's memory.

The Esoterics will extend Pärt's international tribute into the Pacific Northwest with a performance of his longest a cappella choral work to date, Kanon pokajanen [Canon of repentance]. After two years of studying these sacred verses by the 8th-century St Andrew of Crete, Pärt completed this concert-length setting of the Orthodox liturgy in 1997. The Slavonic strophes of this ancient rite made a profound impression upon Pärt, one that his Kanon shares with the rest of the world.

For The Esoterics and its audience, Kanon pokajanen will be a bit of a departure from the group's typical programming. The work is minimal and meditative, with an elegant, harmonic simplicity that will provide a different type of audience experience from other performances by the group.

"This is definitely a different concert for The Esoterics. The audience can just sit and let this gorgeous meditation wash over them," says Eric Banks, the group's founding director. "I think this performance will be meaningful for many people. It is also a perfect kick-off for our 15th season. After so many years, our audience can always expect something new and different!"

Members of The Esoterics agree that KANON stands out among The Esoterics' 15-year history of repertoire. "Usually, when singing with The Esoterics, there are so many mind-blowing technical and linguistic challenges: singing in lightning-fast Arabic or changing keys every five measures," says Phil Edry, a baritone in the ensemble. "With the Pärt, we can concentrate more on creating stillness and as pure a sound as possible."

Banks hopes to create a space for reflection for both chorus and audience in order to contemplate the memorial of this performance. Pärt's Kanon is not the only piece in the program that is dedicated to Anna Politkovskaya. The Esoterics will also honor Anna's life and bravery with a world-premiere composition by Banks entitled Vitam impendere vero, from the Latin phrase "to risk life for truth."

In the piece, a soloist will sing phrases from Politkovskaya's final article, published posthumously and translated into English, while the choir sings setting of three poems by the acclaimed Russian poetess Marina Tsvetayeva. These parallel texts explore the concept of truth; while Politkovskaya's article details her ultimately fatal commitment to reporting the atrocities that she witnessed, Tsvetayeva's poems employ vivid imagery to portray the inter-relationships between life, death, fear, and courage.

Bayta Maring, a mezzo-soprano in the ensemble, will serve as the soloist in Banks' piece. Banks composed this demanding solo for Maring after hearing an interview with Politkovskaya broadcast on the internet. "For all of her courage, Anna's voice actually sounds quite vulnerable. It has a particular quiver, and the timbre is eerily identical to Bayta's. Once I heard Anna's voice, I knew that Bayta would be the perfect voice for her in my piece," explains Banks.

"I am extremely humbled by Anna's courage and the task of portraying her in Eric's work," says Maring. "She is such an inspiration; singing her words is profoundly moving. I just hope I can get through Eric's piece without crying!"

Please join The Esoterics for this tribute to Anna's unmitigated courage and profound commitment to social justice. The dates and venues for KANON are:

Saturday . 2 February . 8 pm . Tacoma
Christ Episcopal Church . 310 N K St

Sunday . 3 February . 7 pm . Lynnwood
Trinity Lutheran Church . 6215 196th St SW

Saturday . 9 February . 8 pm . Seattle
St Joseph's Catholic Church . 732 18th Ave E

Sunday . 10 February . 3 pm . West Seattle
Holy Rosary Catholic 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.

EXTRA! KANON also marks the beginning of a new relationship with Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood. The Esoterics will be adding the northern venue to each of its concert series' during its 15th Anniversary Season. The parish sustains a regular schedule of Sunday-evening performances and the Seattle choir could not be happier to have formed such an ideal partnership. "I have been trying to figure out a way for us to find a new audience north of Seattle and here is a community that is ready to hear new music," says Eric Banks. "I think the Pärt will be an ideal debut for The Esoterics in Lynnwood."

The Esoterics has presented dozens of local and international premieres, and has tackled the most challenging works of 20th and 21st century choral repertoire. Now celebrating its fifteenth anniversary season with founding director Eric Banks, the ensemble has drawn national and international praise for presenting the many styles that comprise contemporary choral music. In 2001, 2003, and 2006, The Esoterics' commitment to innovative concert repertoire was nationally recognized when ASCAP and Chorus America granted the ensemble its coveted Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music. The ensemble was also honored to be selected as the only North American chorus to compete at the 2000 International Choral Festival in Cork, Ireland, the 2001 International Choral Festival in Tolosa, Spain, and the 2006 Harald Andersén International Choir Competition in Helsinki, Finland.

The Esoterics' Season 2008 has been made possible by grants from 4 Culture, ArtsFund, Artist Trust, Classical King FM 98.1, The Horizons Foundation, Meet the Composer, Nikko Media Center, The Norcliffe Foundation, The Nesholm Family Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Seattle Foundation, Seattle's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and The Washington State Arts Commission.

If you have additional questions about KANON or The Esoterics, please contact Bayta Maring ().