Syracuse native Gabrielle Tinto will sing with Seraphic Fire in April 6 Malmgren Concert at Syracuse University

Syracuse native Gabrielle Tinto will sing with Seraphic Fire in April 6 Malmgren Concert at Syracuse University March 25, 2008Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Syracuse native and Nottingham High School alumna Gabrielle Tinto will return to her hometown to perform with innovative Miami-based chamber choir Seraphic Fire in the final concert in Hendricks Chapel’s 2007-08 Malmgren Concert Series at Syracuse University.

The free concert, co-sponsored by SU’s Pulse performing arts series, will be presented on Sunday, April 6, at 4 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. Free parking is available in the Quad 1 lot and adjacent lots.

The concert — “Sway: Music of Miami!” — celebrates Miami’s musical roots. Under the direction of conductor and artistic director Patrick Dupre Quigley, the 16-member ensemble will perform a daring and eclectic program featuring early and contemporary choral music from Haiti, Colombia, Spain, Peru and the United States.

The program will feature the Northeast premieres of works of contemporary and early music from American, Caribbean and Latin American composers — Ingram Marshall (United States), Sydney Guillaume (Haiti) and Alvaro Bermudez (Colombia). Guillaume’s “Dominus Vobiscum” interweaves Gregorian melodies with Creole texts and rhythms. “Padre Nuestro,” by Bermudez, re-envisions the pasillo (a traditional Colombian dance form) through a modern lens. The transcription of an acoustic version of Marshall’s “Hymnodic Delays” was commissioned by Suzanne Hatcher, longtime member of Seraphic Fire and professor of vocal studies at William Jewel College in Kansas.

Seraphic Fire has quickly established itself as one of the nation’s top professional choirs. Gramophone Magazine proclaimed Seraphic Fire as “a treasure… no group programs more adventurously.” The choir was founded by Quigley as a group that would bring the best ensemble singers from around the country to perform rarely heard early and contemporary music in a user-friendly environment.

“We wanted to do away with the Kabuki of classical music,” says Quigley. “No formalized bowing, no tuxedos, no austere fourth wall between the performers and the audience — just amazing music performed at the highest level in a relaxed atmosphere.”

Tinto, a soprano, has been praised by the Miami Herald for her “superb intonation and vivid musicality.” She began singing at age 7 with Annette Riposo’s “Notables” at Edward Smith Elementary School in Syracuse. She sang with the Syracuse Children’s Choir, directed by Barbara Tagg, from ages 8-16, and began her solo vocal studies at age 16 with Helen Boatwright, an emerita faculty member in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Tinto received a bachelor’s degree in music from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in music from the University of Miami.

At home in a wide range of repertoire, Tinto has performed Baroque oratorio, French cabaret, comedic operetta and contemporary art song. She most recently appeared with Miami’s New World Symphony as a soloist in their performance of Steven Reich’s “Daniel Variations.”

Tinto has performed with Seraphic Fire for six seasons and has served as the ensemble’s artistic administrator. She now serves as the group’s director of marketing and public relations. She is the daughter of Vincent Tinto and Patricia Price Tinto, both professors in SU’s School of Education.

The concert is part of the Malmgren Concert Series at Hendricks Chapel. The series was made possible by a generous gift to Hendricks Chapel from alumna Esther Malmgren ’42 in 1991. The free Sunday afternoon concerts, held throughout the year, feature a wide variety of music.

Pulse provides SU students and the local community opportunities to attend and participate in programs, performances, exhibitions and events in the visual and performing arts. It is a collaborative project of SU’s Division of Student Affairs and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. For more information, visit http://pulse.syr.edu.

Call Hendricks Chapel at 443-2901 for more information.