UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music partners with Seraphic Fire to launch a fresh vocal training program
UCLA Students to Collaborate with Seraphic Fire in Advanced Choral Training Program
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and professional choral ensemble Seraphic Fire have partnered to create the Ensemble Artist Program, a unique initiative aimed at ushering in the next generation of choral artists. This collaboration provides select emerging choral artists with intensive professional-level experience through mentorship, rehearsals, and performances guided by experts from both organizations.
James K. Bass, a Grammy-winning conductor and singer, plays a key role in this partnership. As Professor and Director of Choral Studies at the Herb Alpert School of Music, and Associate Conductor for Seraphic Fire, his dual roles bridge the university and the professional ensemble.
The Ensemble Artist Program offers advanced training with esteemed professionals for students, helping them discover outlets for professional employment. Four coaches from Seraphic Fire's roster will be involved in the training: Misty Bermudez, mezzo-soprano; Charles Evans, bass; Sara Guttenberg, soprano; and Patrick Muehleise, tenor.
Eight students have been chosen for the inaugural cohort of the Ensemble Artist Program. In February and April 2018, these students will join Seraphic Fire in South Florida for performances that include Johann Sebastian Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" and Arvo Pärt's "Passio."
The training program for the Ensemble Artist Program begins on the UCLA campus in November. It includes a series of masterclasses, lectures, and town halls. Patrick Dupré Quigley, founder and artistic director of Seraphic Fire, adjudicated auditions for the first cohort of the Ensemble Artist Program.
This collaboration fulfills Seraphic Fire's educational mission of helping student musicians learn more about singing as a career, while also aligning with UCLA's commitment to the future of its students. The experience in the Ensemble Artist Program will allow UCLA students to step out of the academic world and into the professional world.
For more comprehensive program details, direct contact with UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music or Seraphic Fire would be recommended. Further information about the collaboration can be found at UCLA Newsroom.
[1] Information sourced from UCLA Newsroom and Seraphic Fire's official website.
The Ensemble Artist Program, a collaboration between UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and Seraphic Fire, offers students an opportunity to delve into education-and-self-development opportunities beyond their academic world, while also providing them with entertainment through performances of music masterworks like Johann Sebastian Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" and Arvo Pärt's "Passio." The program aims to nurture students, aligning with UCLA's commitment to the future of its students, and fulfilling Seraphic Fire's mission to help student musicians learn more about singing as a career.
