After spending nearly a quarter of a century leading the professional vocal ensemble he created, Seraphic Fire's Patrick Dupre Quigley will step down at the end of this season.
"This is a perfect time for transition for Seraphic Fire," says Quigley, founder of the Grammy-nominated group.
"I think that now in the communities that we serve, we are very well known as being one of the great professional choirs in the United States and a treasure for South Florida," he says.
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Succeeding Quigley as Seraphic Fire's artistic director will be James K. Bass, the ensemble's long-time Associate Conductor. He will officially take the helm next summer.
Bass has been with Seraphic Fire for nearly as long as Quigley, having started out as one of the group's singers.
He says working with the ensemble almost since its inception has transformed him professionally,
"I was experiencing pieces of music for the first time on the ground level," says Bass.
"Being able to sing the Duruflé Requiem, being able to sing the B Minor Mass, being able to sing St. John Passion for the first time in my life. And experiencing them from the beginning of the rehearsal process all the way through the end — well, that is transformational."
Seraphic Fire had its beginnings in the Church of the Epiphany in South Miami, where Quigley served as music director.
What began in 2002 as a volunteer-run church choir grew under Quigley's leadership to a major arts organization attracting world-class artists from around the globe.
Quigley says that, as founder of the group, he's accomplished everything he set out to do. He will complete the 2025-2026 season and then transition into the role of Artistic Director Laureate.
And while he maintains an active schedule guest-conducting other ensembles across the country, he considers Seraphic Fire his musical home.
"I think that there comes a point where a parent begins to look forward to a life as a grandparent," he says. "And I think that that is very much where I see my progress with Seraphic Fire."
IF YOU GO:
SERAPHIC FIRE: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Fri, Dec 12, 8 p.m. | Church of The Little Flower, Coral Gables
Sun, Dec .14, 4 p.m. | Dennis C. Moss Center, Cutler Bay
Tue, Dec 16, 7 p.m. | Moorings Presbyterian, Naples
For more information: seraphicfire.org
