At a New Year's Day party back in 2002, I was in fine form, buzzed on mimosas and postulating to anyone who would listen that "all objects, ideas, and material processes are musical instruments in need of a musician willing to work towards mastery." Eric Banks, director of the a cappella vocal ensemble the Esoterics, was there too. When my blustering pontification ended, he smiled and suggested that "the human body is also a musical instrument." Sometimes the best lessons are taught in short sentences.

Recently, I interviewed Banks about the Esoterics' upcoming 10th-anniversary season, and he explained the enduring appeal of a cappella music--singing without instruments. "It is music's purest form," he said. "Human voices join together without any accompanying technology or amplification. I think a cappella choral music is also a highly empathic art form. Everyone has a voice, so everyone can relate to singing in some way. For me, it is this empathy that makes choral music so universal."

To celebrate their 10th anniversary--a noteworthy feat for any arts group--the ensemble is revisiting some of their favorite music. Titled "Missa: Liberation of the Ordinary," their first concert of the season features the wry Mass in G Major by Francis Poulenc, one of the great choral composers of the 20th century. Also on the program are the Swiss composer Frank Martin's goosebump-inducing Mass for Double Choir and a reflective Missa Brevis by the Canadian composer Ruth Watson Henderson. CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI

The Esoterics sing Fri Feb 7 at 8 pm (St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 8398 NE 12th St in Medina, 935-7779), Sat Feb 8 at 8 pm (St. Joseph's Church, 732 18th Ave E, 935-7779), and Sun Feb 9 at 3 pm (Holy Rosary Church, 4139 42nd Ave SW, 935-7779), $10.

chris@delaurenti.net