“Our 15th Anniversary Season is a culmination of Seraphic Fire’s indelible mark on South Florida,” says Seraphic Fire’s Founder and Artistic Director, Patrick Dupré Quigley. “The season will pay tribute to the music that helped the ensemble announce itself as an outstanding national arts organization, while providing new opportunities for American composers to create and share world-premiere compositions.”
Seraphic Fire’s Commission Project, funded in part by a generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of the Knight Arts Challenge, includes commissioned works by seven American composers throughout the entire season. Composers include GRAMMY®-nominated Christopher Theofanidis, Miami-based composers Shawn Crouch and Alvaro Bermudez, and the highly-acclaimed Douglas Cuomo.
“Our individual and collective stories have been conveyed through choral works for centuries. These creative world premieres put South Florida at the center of artistic innovation in the United States, and showcase the talent of American composers. Seraphic Fire, with its breath of talent and national reach, is the ideal choir to present them,” said Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation.
The 2016-2017 Season begins with excerpts from Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach, a landmark avant-garde opera The New York Times describes as, “an original, visionary and generous work [that] invites you to let your mind wander.” The following month, Seraphic Fire will perform the Fauré and Duruflé requiems with GRAMMY® Award-winning concert organist Nathan Laube, of whose artistry has been said, “listening to such superb musicianship was pure joy, and it would be difficult to describe the emotional impact conveyed by this stellar artist” (Don Feely, Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society). This performance will be repeated on the Georgetown Concert Series in Washington, DC.
In March, Elena Sharkova, Artistic Director of the Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale, will join Seraphic Fire for a program encompassing the beauty of Russian choral music. Elena, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, is internationally recognized as a versatile conductor and a foremost expert on Russian music.
Seraphic Fire celebrates its 15th Anniversary in a concert to include “the best of Seraphic Fire,” with music that has defined the ensemble’s past and music that represents its future. This includes new premieres commissioned by Seraphic Fire, by such artists as Alvaro Bermudez, a long-time Seraphic Fire musician, and Shawn Crouch, Founding Director of the Miami Choral Academy.
Other programs offer homage to Seraphic Fire’s history with two concerts featuring works by Johann Sebastian Bach: his complete motets and Easter Oratorio. The season also includes two of Seraphic Fire’s most popular programs conducted by Associate Conductor Dr. James K. Bass: the absorbing Christmas program, A Seraphic Fire Christmas, and a program of choral classics chosen by the audience.
In January and March of 2017, Seraphic Fire performs with The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. The appearances include Seraphic Fire’s debut at Severance Hall, the home of The Cleveland Orchestra. Patrick Dupré Quigley will prepare the ensemble for both programs.
After a two-year hiatus, Seraphic Fire returns to its long-time home, First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables as the ensemble-in-residence to deepen its ties to the community that enabled its rise to national acclaim. This relationship provided the opportunity for the organization to record performances, rehearse for many of its concerts, and a place to share its incredible music with an eager audience. Seraphic Fire also will continue to build its Naples Concert Series, bringing four of its programs to the west coast of Florida.
The Miami Choral Academy (MCA), led by Associate Conductor and Director of Education Dr. James K. Bass, expands to further develop musical learning in Miami-Dade elementary and middle-school youth from economically disadvantaged communities. With ongoing training through a new Light the Fire initiative, the program will use Seraphic Fire artists and a specially selected music education student from University of Miami’s Frost School of Music to teach basics of music and singing. Select students will join Seraphic Fire side-by-side in two of its performances throughout the season. MCA will also continue inspiring over 1,000 students through its in-school workshops and specially curated outreach performances.
“Seraphic Fire’s 15th Anniversary season looks back over the ensemble’s history to inform its future, focusing on our mission to share under-performed and new works with diverse audiences to create a vibrant cultural community in South Florida,” remarks Rhett Del Campo, Seraphic Fire’s Executive Director. “For any arts organization, 15 years is a significant milestone. We are grateful for our committed and passionate group of supporters who believe in Patrick’s vision and are dedicated to the next steps in our growth.”
Subscriptions and packages are available April 4th by calling (305) 285-9060 or by visitingSeraphicFire.org. A full listing of next season’s programs with venues, as well as bios of featured performers, is below. For high resolution images or interview requests, please contact Ross Chuchla at (305) 692-0268, or via email at Ross@SeraphicFire.org.
Seraphic Fire’s full season includes:
PROGRAM I
The Genius of Philip Glass: Einstein on the Beach
Featuring GRAMMY®-winning violinist Matthew Albert and a World Premiere composition by Guggenheim Award recipient Christopher Theofanidis
Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor
| October 19, 2016 | 7:30pm | St. Sophia Greek Orthodox |
| October 21, 2016 | 7:30pm | St. Philip’s Episcopal |
| October 22, 2016 | 7:30pm | All Saints Episcopal |
| October 23, 2016 | 4:00pm | All Souls Episcopal |
PROGRAM II
Jewels from Paris: The Fauré and Duruflé Requiems
Featuring GRAMMY®-winning organist Nathan Laube and a World Premiere composition by NEA Award-winning composer Douglas Cuomo
Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor
| November 11, 2016 | 7:30pm | First United Methodist |
| November 12, 2016 | 7:30pm | All Saints Episcopal |
| November 13, 2016 | 5:00pm | St. John’s Georgetown Concert Series (Washington, DC) |
PROGRAM III
A Seraphic Fire Christmas: On Winter’s Night
Featuring the World Premiere of three new carol settings by composer Susan LaBarr
James K. Bass, associate conductor
| December 7, 2016 | 7:30pm | St. Sophia Greek Orthodox |
| December 8, 2016 | 7:30pm | St. Philip’s Episcopal |
| December 9, 2016 | 7:30pm | First United Methodist |
| December 10, 2016 | 7:30pm | All Souls Episcopal |
| December 11, 2016 | 7:00pm | All Saints Episcopal |
| December 13, 2016 | 7:00pm | Bower Chapel in Moorings Park, Naples, FL |
| December 18, 2016 | 4:00pm | St. Gregory’s Episcopal (Boca Raton) |
PROGRAM IV
15th Anniversary Celebration: The Best of Seraphic Fire
Featuring World Premiere compositions by Alvaro Bermudez and Pulitzer-Prize nominee Shawn Crouch
Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor
| January 18, 2017 | 7:30pm | St. Sophia Greek Orthodox |
| January 19, 2017 | 7:00pm | Bower Chapel in Moorings Park, Naples, FL |
| January 20, 2017 | 7:30pm | First United Methodist |
| January 21, 2017 | 7:30pm | All Saints Episcopal |
| January 22, 2017 | 4:00pm | All Souls Episcopal |
PROGRAM V
J. S. Bach: The Complete Motets
Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor
| February 17, 2017 | 7:30pm | First United Methodist |
| February 18, 2017 | 7:30pm | All Saints Episcopal |
| February 19, 2017 | 4:00pm | Vanderbilt Presbyterian, Naples |
PROGRAM VI
Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky: Russian Choral Treasures
Elena Sharkova, guest conductor
| March 8, 2017 | 7:30pm | St. Sophia Greek Orthodox |
| March 9, 2017 | 7:00pm | Vanderbilt Presbyterian, Naples |
| March 10, 2017 | 7:30pm | St. Philip’s Episcopal |
| March 11, 2017 | 7:30pm | All Saints Episcopal |
| March 12, 2017 | 4:00pm | All Souls Episcopal |
PROGRAM VII
J. S. Bach: The Easter Oratorio
Featuring two World Premiere compositions by composers James Kallembach and Abbie Betinis
Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor
| April 13, 2017 | 7:30pm | First United Methodist |
| April 14, 2017 | 7:30pm | All Saints Episcopal |
PROGRAM VIII
Allegri’s Miserere: Choral Favorites
James K. Bass, associate conductor
| May 10, 2017 | 7:30pm | St. Sophia Greek Orthodox |
| May 12, 2017 | 7:30pm | St. Philip’s Episcopal |
| May 13, 2017 | 7:30pm | All Saints Episcopal |
| May 14, 2017 | 4:00pm | All Souls Episcopal |
