Seraphic Fire Inc

SERAPHIC FIRE PRESENTS THE HIGHEST QUALITY PERFORMANCES OF HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT AND UNDER-PERFORMED MUSIC, AND ADVANCES ART THROUGH THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, REFINEMENT, AND DOCUMENTATION OF MUSICIANS' TALENTS WHILE PROMOTING COMMUNITY CONNECTIVITY THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. SERAPHIC FIRE STRIVES TO BE THE EXEMPLAR FOR QUALITY CONTRIBUTIONS TO PROFESSIONAL ENSEMBLE SINGING IN NORTH AMERICA.

SERAPHIC FIRE'S OBJECTIVES WERE TO PRESENT SUPERIOR QUALITY CONCERTS OF UNDERPERFORMED MUSIC; TO PRESENT MUSICAL MASTERPIECES ALONG WITH NEW WORKS; TO PRESENT A CONSISTENT ROSTER OF INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISTS; AND TO CONTINUE GROWING COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES.LOCATIONS-ST. GREGORY'S EPISCOPAL, BOCA RATON-ST. MARK'S GREEK ORTHODOX, BOCA RATON-CHURCH OF THE LITTLE FLOWER, CORAL GABLES-FIRST UNITED METHODIST, CORAL GABLES-ST. PHILIP'S EPISCOPAL, CORAL GABLES-SOUTH MIAMI-DADE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, CUTLER BAY-CORPUS CHRISTI, MIAMI-ST. SOPHIA GREEK ORTHODOX, MIAMI-ALL SOULS EPISCOPAL, MIAMI BEACH-ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL, FT. LAUDERDALE-SUNSHINE CATHEDRAL, FT. LAUDERDALE-SANCTUARY CATHEDRAL, FT. LAUDERDALE-MOORINGS PRESBYTERIAN, NAPLES-VANDERBILT PRESBYTERIAN, NAPLES-ST. BONIFACE, SARASOTAMETHODS AND ACTIVITIES:TO RETURN TO LIVE IN-PERSON CONCERTS, SERAPHIC IMPLEMENTED COVID PROTOCOLS THAT INCLUDED LIMITED CAPACITIES, REGULAR TESTING OF ARTISTS AND STAFF, PROOF OF RECENT NEGATIVE COVID TEST OR VACCINATION REQUIRED FOR AUDIENCES, MASK-WEARING FOR STAFF AND AUDIENCES, AND DIGITAL OPTIONS FOR PATRONS WHO WERE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND CONCERTS IN PERSON. PERGOLESI STABAT MATERSERAPHIC FIRE RETURNS FOR SEASON 19 WITH GIOVANNI BATTISTA PERGOLESI'S CELEBRATED SACRED WORK STABAT MATER. THE SOLO TALENTS OF SERAPHIC FIRE ARTISTS LAUREN SNOUFFER, SOPRANO, AND REGINALD MOBLEY, COUNTERTENOR, SHINE IN THIS CHAMBER WORK FEATURING ARIAS AND DUETS WITH STRINGS AND ORGAN.A SERAPHIC FIRE CHRISTMASSOUTH FLORIDA'S FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION, A SERAPHIC FIRE CHRISTMAS, WILL BE LED BY ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR JAMES K. BASS. IN WHAT PROMISES TO BE A JOYFUL CELEBRATION OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON, SERAPHIC FIRE SINGERS WILL SERENADE AUDIENCES WITH CLASSICS LIKE SILENT NIGHT AND JESUS CHRIST THE APPLE TREE, ALONG WITH NEW FAVORITES.HILDEGARD VON BINGEN: ORDO VIRTUTUM: A CD RELEASE CONCERTDUE TO SPIKING COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS IN JANUARY 2022, SERAPHIC MADE THE DECISION TO CANCEL HILDEGARD VON BINGEN'S ORDO VIRTUTUM, A PROGRAM THAT WAS TO FEATURE OPERA AND BROADWAY STAGE DIRECTOR FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO. SERAPHIC DETERMINED THAT, GIVEN THE CASE LEVELS AT THE TIME, ASKING ARTISTS TO TRAVEL FROM ALL AROUND THE CONTINENT TO PERFORM WOULD PUT THEIR HEALTH AND LIVELIHOODS AT TOO MUCH RISK. BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE NATURE OF THE FULLY-STAGED CONCERT, WHICH REQUIRED MONTHS OF MEMORIZATION ON THE SINGERS' PART, A SINGLE SINGER'S LAST-MINUTE ILLNESS WOULD HAVE MADE THE PRODUCTION IMPOSSIBLE TO PERFORM AT THE HIGH ARTISTIC LEVEL THAT IS CHARACTERISTIC OF SERAPHIC FIRE. ENLIGHTENMENT FESTIVAL: MUSIC OF BACH, MOORE, AND PURCELLFEBRUARY 2022 BROUGHT THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE POPULAR ENLIGHTENMENT FESTIVAL, FEATURING TWO CONCERT PROGRAMS IN BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS. HENRY PURCELL'S CHARMING AND INTIMATE LOVE SONGS WERE FEATURED ALONGSIDE PLAYFUL ENGLISH MADRIGALS IN A DELIGHTFUL CONCERT FOR VALENTINE'S DAY TITLED IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE. THOMAS MOORE'S IRISH MELODIES ROUNDED OUT THIS PROGRAM FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT FESTIVAL. THE ENLIGHTENMENT FESTIVAL CONTINUED WITH J.S. BACH: JESU JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING FEATURING THE SERAPHIC FIRE ENSEMBLE, CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, AND 8 SINGERS FROM SERAPHIC'S ENSEMBLE ARTIST PROGRAM AT UCLA HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF MUSIC. TWO OF BACH'S GREAT CANTATAS, CANTATA 147, HERTZ UND MUND UND TAT UND LEBEN, AND CANTATA 62, NUN KOMM, DER HEIDEN HEILAND, WERE PERFORMED. ADDITIONALLY, BACH'S SELDOMLY PERFORMED MASS IN G MINOR WAS FEATURED. BIEBL: AVE MARIASERAPHIC FIRE PERFORMED BIEBL'S ICONIC AVE MARIA AND EXPLORED THE TRADITION OF MUSIC FOR MEN'S CHOIRS. THE CONCERT SHOWCASED THE MEN OF SERAPHIC FIRE IN A PRESENTATION OF FAVORITES AS WELL AS NEW COMPOSITIONS FROM ILEANA PEREZ VELAZQUEZ AND SERAPHIC FIRE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI STUDENT COMPOSERS-IN-RESIDENCE, MELISSA D'ALBORA AND SYDNEY DOEMEL. HANDEL: MESSIAHSEASON 19 CLOSED WITH A COMPLETE PERFORMANCE OF THE MASTERWORK HANDEL: MESSIAH. A CHAMBER ORCHESTRA ACCOMPANIED AN ENSEMBLE OF 19 SINGERS, INCLUDING STUDENTS FROM UCLA'S ENSEMBLE ARTIST PROGRAM.

THE CHORAL EDUCATION RESIDENCY TOOK PLACE AT FULFORD ELEMENTARY AND DR. E. L. WHIGHAM ELEMENTARY. THE CHORAL EDUCATION RESIDENCY TEACHER (CERT)-A DOCTORAL MUSIC EDUCATION STUDENT FROM UM-AND EACH SCHOOL'S MUSIC TEACHER COLLABORATED ON LESSON PLANS FOR THE CLASSES. THE CERT WAS PRESENT FOR WEEKLY CLASSES FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR. IN DECEMBER, THE STUDENTS IN THE CER PROGRAM PERFORMED "STILL, STILL, STILL" ALONGSIDE THE SERAPHIC FIRE PROFESSIONAL ENSEMBLE AND "LIGHT THE CANDLES" ON THEIR OWN FOR AN AUDIENCE OF 800 OF THEIR PEERS. SFYI ALSO OFFERED A UNIQUE, HANDS-ON APPROACH TO MUSIC EDUCATION AND CHORAL PERFORMANCE THROUGH A CURRICULUM OF THREE DYNAMIC WORKSHOPS, LED BY SERAPHIC FIRE ARTISTS, THAT INCLUDE MUSIC THEORY FUNDAMENTALS, VOCAL TECHNIQUE AND PEDAGOGY, INTERACTIVE VOCAL EXERCISES, AND POST-WORKSHOP QUIZZES. YOUTH INITIATIVE WORKSHOPS TOOK PLACE AT 8 TITLE I SCHOOLS OF THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS SERVED BY WORKSHOPS WERE FULFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BENT TREE ELEMENTARY, SPANISH LAKES ELEMENTARY, DR. E.L. WHIGHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, PALM SPRINGS ELEMENTARY, GULFSTREAM ELEMENTARY, WESLEY MATTHEWS ELEMENTARY, WEST HIALEAH GARDENS. WORKSHOP STUDENTS, PLUS STUDENTS FROM ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS, WERE INVITED TO SPECIALLY CURATED SERAPHIC FIRE EDUCATION CONCERTS THAT SERVED AS "GUIDED TOURS" OF THE MUSIC PERFORMED BY THE ENSEMBLE AND INCLUDED PERFORMANCES BY CER STUDENTS. IN FY22, EDUCATION CONCERTS WERE PRESENTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FT. LAUDERDALE AND NAPLES. HIGH SCHOOL MASTER CLASSLOCATION: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITYIN SPRING 2022, SERAPHIC HOSTED THE INAUGURAL ONE-DAY HIGH SCHOOL MASTERCLASS FOR 76 MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL CHORAL STUDENTS. THE PROGRAM CONSISTED OF MORNING WORKSHOPS CONDUCTED BY SERAPHIC FIRE ARTISTS, AFTERNOON REHEARSALS WITH THE ENSEMBLE, AND A JOINT CONCERT IN THE EVENING THAT WAS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. PRE-CONCERT CONVERSATIONSSERAPHIC FIRE OFFERED PRE-CONCERT CONVERSATIONS BEFORE MOST CONCERTS. FREE TO TICKET HOLDERS, A CONDUCTOR OR SINGER LED A DISCUSSION TO GUIDE AUDIENCES THROUGH THE HISTORICAL AND MUSICOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF THE MUSIC THAT WAS PERFORMED. THESE LECTURES ARE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AUDIENCES TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW AND INTERACT WITH ARTISTS BEFORE THE CONCERT.STUDENT COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCETHE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI STUDENT COMPOSERS-IN-RESIDENCE WERE SELECTED TO CREATE A 5-MINUTE WORK THAT SERAPHIC PREMIERED DURING SEASON SUBSCRIPTION CONCERTS. THESE STUDENTS WORKED CLOSELY WITH ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR JAMES K. BASS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON AND REGULARLY ATTENDED REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES IN PREPARATION FOR THE PREMIERE. THE RESIDENCY INCLUDED COMPOSITION WORKSHOPS AND ROUTINE GUIDANCE FROM SERAPHIC FIRE ARTISTS AND CONDUCTORS. IN THE 2021-22 SEASON, 2 STUDENT COMPOSERS HAD WORKS PREMIERED: MELISSA D'ALBORA, WHOSE ORIGINAL CONCERT WAS CANCELED IN SPRING 2020; AND SYDNEY DOEMEL, WHO WAS THE 2021-22 STUDENT COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE. UCLA ENSEMBLE ARTIST PROGRAMLOCATION: UCLA HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF MUSICSERAPHIC'S ENSEMBLE ARTIST PROGRAM AT UCLA'S HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF MUSIC PROVIDED SEASON-LONG VOCAL ENSEMBLE TRAINING TO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE VOICE STUDENTS AT UCLA. PARTICIPANTS TRAVELED TO MIAMI TO PERFORM ALONGSIDE THE SERAPHIC FIRE ENSEMBLE IN 2 SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT PROGRAMS: JESU, JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING AND HANDEL: MESSIAH. 6 OF THE 8 EAP STUDENTS CONTRACTED COVID BEFORE HANDEL: MESSIAH IN APRIL 2022 AND WERE NOT ABLE TO TRAVEL OR PERFORM. PROFESSIONAL CHORAL INSTITUTE LOCATION: ONLINETHE PROFESSIONAL CHORAL INSTITUTE, LIKE THE UCLA ENSEMBLE ARTIST PROGRAM, IS SERAPHIC FIRE'S ANSWER TO THE SCARCITY OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR UNDERGRADUATE- AND GRADUATE-LEVEL SINGERS. SERAPHIC'S PROGRAM IN AUGUST 2021 WAS A ONE-WEEK FULLY REMOTE PROGRAM WITH LESSONS AND GROUP STUDY ONLINE WITH SERAPHIC ARTISTS. THE IN-PERSON PROGRAM IS EXPECTED TO RESUME IN AUGUST 2022 AND WILL INCLUDE LESSONS, ENSEMBLE REHEARSALS, AND LIVE PERFORMANCES WITH FULL ORCHESTRA.SERAPHIC SATURDAY PODCAST5 PODCAST EPISODES WERE RECORDED AND RELEASED IN FY22 FEATURING ARTISTS SUCH AS JAMES K. BASS, NIC MCEGAN EMMA KIRKBY, REGINALD MOBLEY, AND LAUREN SNOUFFER.RECORDINGSEACH OF THE 7 CONCERT PROGRAMS WAS RECORDED. CONCERTS VIDEOS WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO PATRONS WHO COULD NOT ATTEND DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS. IN THE FUTURE, THE RECORDING WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN A DIGITAL LIBRARY. THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, SERAPHIC ALSO RELEASED 11 VIDEO RECORDINGS OF SHORT WORKS FOR FREE ON YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM. PARTICIPATION DATA-4,950 PEOPLE ATTENDED CONCERTS.-364 SUBSCRIBERS, AN INCREASE OF 13% OVER FY21-405 FIRST-TIME TICKET BUYERS-592 PEOPLE ATTENDED PRE-CONCERT CONVERSATIONS.-2,203 ELEMENTARY STUDENTS ATTENDED SFYI WORKSHOPS.-75 ELEMENTARY STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE CHORAL EDUCATION RESIDENCY.-76 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE HIGH SCHOOL MASTERCLASS.-1,165 ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ATTENDED EDUCATION CONCERTS.-54 FREE STUDENTACCESS TICKETS WERE REDEEMED BY STUDENTS.-21 DISCOUNTED FANS OF FIRE TICKETS WERE REDEEMED BY YOUNG AUDIENCES UNDER 40.-172 FREE GOLDEN TICKETS WERE REDEEMED BY MIAMI-DADE SENIOR CITIZENS.-26 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE VIRTUAL PCI PROGRAM IN AUGUST 2021.-8 EAP STUDENTS JOINED SERAPHIC FIRE ARTISTS IN FEBRUARY 2022 CONCERT AND 2 EAP STUDENTS JOINED THE MAY 2022 CONCERT. -2 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI STUDENT COMPOSERS PREMIERED WORKS ON SERAPHIC SUBSCRIPTION CONCERTS.