Seraphic Fire founder and artistic director Patrick Dupré Quigley, along with Seraphic Fire chorus master James Bass, will represent the ensemble during the 2012 Grammy Awards ceremony on Feb. 12.
Seraphic Fire is nominated for two Grammy awards — Best Choral Performance (Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem) and Best Small Ensemble Performance (A Seraphic Fire Christmas). Seraphic Fire is the only chorus in North and South America to be nominated for a Grammy this year.
As the 2012 awards conflict with Seraphic Fire’s performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s B minor Mass, Quigley has invited Scott Allen Jarrett, a nationally recognized Bach interpreter, to conduct Seraphic Fire’s performances on Feb. 11 and 12. Quigley will conduct the opening night of the series on Feb. 10.
The local performance will be on Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m., at First United Methodist Church, 536 Coral Way in Coral Gables.
“If there’s anyone who I’d want to hear the B minor Mass conducted by, it would be Scott Allen Jarrett,” Quigley said. “I’ve worked with Scott numerous times, and his sensitivity and attention to detail in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach is unrivaled.”
Jarrett — along with Quigley, Bass and Seraphic Fire — also is up for a Grammy award this year for his performance as one of the two pianists on Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem.
“Because of the time difference, the concert and the Classical Grammys actually occur simultaneously on Sunday,” Jarrett said. “Since a number of us performing on that Sunday are up for the award, we’re going to all have to make a pact to keep our cell phones off during the intermission.”
Jarrett holds a number of prestigious positions in the music world, including music director and conductor of the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte, director of music at Marsh Chapel at Boston University, artistic director of the Back Bay Chorale in Boston, and associate director of choral activities of Boston University. Jarrett also is on the music staff of the Oregon Bach Festival.
Miami-based Seraphic Fire, now in its 10th season, boasts an international roster of singers, all chosen for their exceptional talent. Seraphic Fire flies these renowned artists to Miami for intensive rehearsals followed by a series of performances at various South Florida locations.
Seraphic Fire will be joined by its sister ensemble, the Firebird Chamber Orchestra, for a performance of Bach’s B minor Mass. Tickets and information are available at 1-888-544-FIRE or SeraphicFire.org.
