dēlectō
the dialogue around love

DĒLECTŌ, our first concert of 2018, will re-imagine the canticle – specifically, the conversation of lovers, as in the Song of Songs. But instead of focusing on the bride and groom, the performances will center around a more mature version of love.

The concert will feature three pieces. The first is a short piece entitled “Love”, by the Canadian composer Rodney Sharman, who recently was honored by the Canada Council for the Arts as the winner of the 2017 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts. “Love” sets a verse by the 17th-century poet George Sandys expressing the power of love to unite disparate forces.

We will also premiere two longer pieces. Thanks in part to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Esoterics have commissioned a piece from the Minnesota-based wife/husband composers Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy C. Takach, who have collaborated for the first time to create “This is how you love.” The thirteen-movement a cappella work is a modern dialogue about the many aspects of marriage, from first love and infatuation to conflict and compromise. The texts include contemporary poetry and transcript excerpts from couples counseling sessions.

The centerpiece of this concert is the premiere of Eric Banks’ newest work, The river of love. This composition was commissioned as a wedding gift from Robert Alexander to his wife Ali, who has been a longstanding and enthusiastic friend of The Esoterics. The piece sets couplets (or doha) in ancient Hindi and Farsi (with English translations) by the fourteenth-century Sufi mystic, Amir Khusro. Khusro’s poems explore different images of love as a river – as a means for a journey, an obstacle to be crossed, a source for refinement, and a depth in which to find oneself immersed.

The Esoterics will present three performances of DĒLECTŌ. Please join us as we celebrate the many facets of love and commitment this February.

9 February 2018 | 800 pm | Holy Rosary Catholic Church | 4210 SW Genesee Street | West Seattle

General admission ticket prices are $25 at the door ($22 in advance). Discounted admission ticket prices are $18 at the door ($15 in advance) for students, seniors, the un(der)employed, and the differently-abled. Active singers in other choral groups may also attend for $15.

To buy your ticket online, go here.