South Florida Classical Review

James K. Bass leads his first season as artistic director of Seraphic Fire in 2026-27.

The 2026-2027 season will mark James K. Bass’ first as artistic director of Seraphic Fire. Long a member and assistant conductor of the chamber choir, Bass will lead six of the group’s seven programs. Co-founder and artistic director laureate Patrick Dupre Quigley returns for one program.

The season opens October 15-18 with “Serenade to Music.” The concert’s title work by Ralph Vaughan Williams shares the bill with scores by Eric Whitacre and Carolyn Shaw.

Bass directs “Blue Notes” November 19-22. Joined by a small jazz combo, the choir sings songs made famous by Nat King Cole, Etta James and composer Cole Porter.

“Noel: An Old World Christmas” on December 11-20 spotlights familiar carols plus holiday songs from France, Germany Spain, Italy and England.

Quigley leads “One for All” January 14-17, a program of music for male voices traversing one thousand years of vocal writing. Poulenc’s Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue and  such classic folk songs as” and “Loch Lomond” and “Danny Boy” are among the concert’s bill of fare.

Bass helms “Northern Lights”  on February 18-21. Musical minimalism through the creative voices of Ola Gjello, Arvo Pãrt and Henryk Gorecki join highlights from Philip Glass’ legendary opera Einstein on the Beach.

“American Poets” March 18-21 celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with musical settings of the words of Emily Daickinson, Frederick Douglass, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost and Martin Luther King.

Bass concludes the season April 8-11 with a performance of Ariel Ramirez’s Missa Criolla plus works by Miami composers Alvaro Bermudez and Sydney Guillaume who have long been associated with Seraphic Fire.

Performances take place in Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Palmetto Bay and Naples. seraphicfire.org

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