Announcement: Tranquility for Teachers
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| Seraphic Fire, on tour in Wisconsin, gives free
concert tickets to public school teachers |
MADISON, WI — In the shadow of Wisconsin’s capitol building, the members of Seraphic Fire, Miami’s professional chamber choir, hope to offer something that has been in short supply here lately: tranquility. In an open letter to teachers at Wisconsin’s public schools and universities on the Seraphic Fire’s blog (ichoir.blogspot.com), the musicians of Seraphic Fire offered the best comfort they know – singing.
“In what we know has been a trying and tumultuous time, we would like our colleagues, the educators from Wisconsin’s public schools and universities, to be our guest, free of charge, at our concert,” wrote Seraphic Fire’s singers. “Many of us are teachers, have partners and parents who are teachers – we empathize with your hardship, and we hope that our singing on Saturday will bring you peace in trying times.”
On March 4th (Milwaukee) and 5th (Madison) at 7:30 pm, Seraphic Fire will perform music ranging from 17th century Spanish polyphony to New Orleans- style gospel tunes in the sanctuary of downtown Madison’s Grace Episcopal Church, located on Madison’s Capitol Square. Seraphic Fire will give free admission to anyone with a valid faculty ID from a Wisconsin public school or university. Concert information is available by calling (305) 285-9060 or online at www.SeraphicFire.org.
“This is not a political statement,” says Seraphic Fire founding Artistic Director Patrick Dupré Quigley. “This is comfort. This is empathy. This is what we do as artists – we perform in the hopes that our music will bring more joy and happiness in the world than was there before we began to sing.”
The events in Wisconsin over the past two weeks have been particularly poignant for two of Seraphic Fire’s members. Seraphic Fire soprano Sara Guttenberg, now adjunct professor of choral music at Southern Utah University, is a graduate of Jefferson High School, completed an education degree at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and was a music teacher at Badger Ridge Middle School in Verona, Wisconsin. Tenor Vincent Davies is a graduate of the Milwaukee High School of the Arts.
“I feel for those guys, I really do,” says Guttenberg. “Teaching is tough, so I hope we can make even a small difference on Saturday.”
It is even more personal for Davies: “I’m singing for my high school choral director, Mr. Raymond Roberts. I’m a professional musician in no small part because of him.”
Anyone with a faculty ID from a Wisconsin public school or university will be admitted at the door free of charge on a first-come first-served basis, one ticket per ID. Reserved for tickets for the performances are $25 and are available at www.SeraphicFire.org or by phone at 888-544-FIRE. Press inquiries should be directed to Mike Burgess at (305)285-9060 or mike@seraphicfire.org. High-res photographs and audio clips are available.
About Seraphic Fire
Founded in 2002 by Artistic Director Patrick Dupré Quigley, Seraphic Fire has garnered critical acclaim locally and nationally. Lauded by the Miami Herald as “one of the best choirs anywhere,” Seraphic Fire has gained a reputation for dynamic, cutting-edge performances. In an exciting crossover collaboration in 2004, Seraphic Fire was invited to record with international pop star Shakira on a track for her album Oral Fixation II, which ultimately went platinum on the Billboard Pop Charts.
Seraphic Fire’s programming is broad, including classical and contemporary, sacred and secular choral works. This programming has won the organization awards and earned wide-ranging praise. Over the past seven seasons, the organization has commissioned and premiered works by up-and-coming young composers. In 2005, Seraphic Fire commissioned The Road From Hiroshima: A Requiem, a 50-minute work from 28-year-old composer Shawn Crouch. It was subsequently nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
In recent years, Seraphic Fire has made significant organizational and artistic strides. Recent seasons have experienced record-breaking ticket sales with many sold-out performances. In 2007, Seraphic Fire was awarded a Knight Foundation grant for the formation of the Firebird Chamber Orchestra, which debuted in 2008. Seraphic Fire currently performs full seasons at several South Florida venues in Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Key Biscayne and Fort Lauderdale. In 2007, the ensemble began touring nationally. Seraphic Fire has eight CDs in circulation, including the critically acclaimed Monteverdi Vespers of the Blessed Virgin 1610.
In 2010, Seraphic Fire started its education initiative, Miami Choral Academy. The Choral Academy is a program designed to create a Little-League style network of choirs in Miami’s inner-city schools. In partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the Choral Academy seeks to make positive academic and social change through participation in choral singing and an integrated academic enrichment program.
