BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4.5//EN TZID:America/Los_Angeles X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:VEVENT UID:935@tacomaago.org DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261011T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261011T170000 DTSTAMP:20261002T225934Z URL:https://tacomaago.org/events/the-esoterics-splintered-and-scattered/ SUMMARY:The Esoterics: Splintered and Scattered DESCRIPTION: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 lear n that “even in being alone\, we’re not alone.”\n\nDespite being con sistency connected through devices in our modern world\, many Americans fi nd 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 writ ers of this country\, including texts from Thomas Jefferson\, Claude McKay \, T.S. Eliot\, Walt Whitman\, Emily Dickinson\, and Dorothy Parker. The o pening movements of the piece draw from texts on America’s expansion wes t\, to conquer the land through rugged individualism. Then follow urbaniza tion and suburbanization\, how communities were built around the nuclear f amily at the expense of connection and community cohesion. With the modern ization 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 disi llusionment and isolation after facing senseless death and violence.\n\nEv en with such darkness\, there is much to be optimistic and joyful about. R ex’s piece reminds us that loneliness is not new in this country. Our na tion was built in part by those willing to face the world alone\, while st ill in the company of others. Many of the forces that facilitated America ’s loneliness also made it a successful place to live and inspire countl ess immigrants in our history to arrive here and realize their “American dream.” In its conclusion\, Isenberg’s piece encourages us to find st rength and belonging as individuals\, but to do so together.\n\nRex Isenbe rg is a Los Angeles-based composer\, born in Philadelphia. Rex holds a BA in Music from Yale University and Masters and Doctorate degrees in composi tion from the Manhattan School of Music. Isenberg’s artistic works often explore the complexities of human relationships across different times an d societal settings. He is also devoted to expanding and enriching the cat alog of Jewish liturgical music by creating compositions that remain faith ful to the original text but also resonate and renew meaning with modern a udiences.\n\nWe are so excited to welcome Rex to Seattle for the weekend o f these concerts! Please join The Esoterics for the world premiere of Amer ican solitude in SPLINTERED &\; SCATTERED!\n\nCost information and tick ets are available at The Esoterics ticket site. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://tacomaago.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10 /esoterics-splintered-and-scattered.jpg CATEGORIES:Choral Concerts LOCATION:Christ Episcopal Church\, 310 N K Street\, Tacoma\, WA\, 98403\, T acoma\, United States GEO:47.2609114;-122.45519230000002 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=310 N K Street\, Tacoma\, W A\, 98403\, Tacoma\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Christ Episc opal Church:geo:47.2609114,-122.45519230000002 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR