Cleveland.com Zachary Lewis March 17, 2017 Re-add Stravinsky to the list of composers the Cleveland Orchestra plays really, really well. Bruckner, Brahms, Mozart. These have been recent hallmarks. After the orchestra’s all-Stravinsky concert Thursday night at Severance Hall, however, it’s time to tack on another. Not only was the program, a broad and eclectic survey of the composer’s metamorphic career, well-conceived. It was also well-executed. Each of its four works received from music director Franz… Read More

South Florida Classical Review David Fleshler March 9, 2017 From the carved stone pulpit of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Miami, bass Charles Evans intoned an early Russian chant over solemn tones in male voices. Female singers, clad in black, walked slowly down the aisle. When they reached the front of the church, solo soprano voices ascended in figures that sounded almost Middle Eastern in their inflections. It was a spellbinding, hypnotic opening to… Read More

Palm Beach ArtsPaper Greg Stepanich Feb 22, 2017 Back in the early days of Seraphic Fire, the Miami concert choir took on the challenge of all six motets by J.S. Bach. The performance I saw 12 years ago was very fine, but effortful: The difficulty of the music took its toll on the singers, and it was noticeable by the end of the concert. The group has done one or another of the motets individually… Read More

South Florida Classical Review Lawrence Budmen February 18, 2017 The six motets of Johann Sebastian Bach represent the Baroque master at his most experimental and inspired. Taking a form pioneered by Monteverdi and Palestrina, Bach pushed the boundaries of form and harmonic structure in these scores, which are far from mere choral vignettes. Continuing their Bach immersion which began with music from Bach cantatas in collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra and will culminate in performances… Read More

Cleveland.com Zachary Lewis January 29, 2017 MIAMI, Fla. – Call it even. This week in South Florida, the Cleveland Orchestra received as much from Miami as it gave. And yet the real beneficiary was the audience. Friday and Saturday nights at the Arsht Center here, listeners experienced what might be viewed as the best of both musical communities. From Miami came Seraphic Fire, a local but globally renowned vocal ensemble, collaborating with the orchestra on… Read More

South Florida Classical Review Lawrence Budmen January 28, 2017 The pairing of the Cleveland Orchestra and Seraphic Fire with music by Bach and Bruckner drew a large audience to the Arsht Center on Friday night and the combined musical forces, each performing their signature repertory, did not disappoint. Choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach have been central to the programming of Patrick Quigley’s outstanding choral group. The massive symphonies of Anton Bruckner have been a… Read More

Palm Beach ArtsPaper Greg Stepanich January 24, 2017 The South Florida classical music scene was rather different 15 years ago than it is today, and while in some aspects of those pre-recession days it was more robust, in one thing in particular there is no comparison. Today, there has been substantial growth in the appearance of smaller arts organizations, with chamber orchestras, chamber music series and even opera companies hanging out their sonic shingles and… Read More

South Florida Classical Review Lawrence Budmen January 19, 2017 Seraphic Fire celebrated its 15th anniversary Wednesday night in Miami with a diverse program that showcased the versatility and skilled vocalism that has been the trademark of Patrick Quigley’s choral ensemble. The evening opened with a rousing traversal of Invocation by William Billings, an example of the Colonial New England hymnal tradition. (The text “Majestic God our music inspire and fill us with seraphic fire” inspired… Read More