SERAPHIC FIRE NAMES NEW BOARD CHAIR - Five new board members appointed amid growth and balanced budgets

MIAMI, FL – Seraphic Fire’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Board Secretary Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz has been elected as the next Chair, succeeding Ambassador A. Peter Burleigh. Three new members were also voted to posts during the Board’s annual meeting in May, joining two other new additions approved at prior 2014-2015 season meetings.

About Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz

Incoming Chair Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz has served as Secretary of the Board since 2014, and has been a supporter of the organization since her first concert experience in December of 2012. Ms. Fotiu-Wojtowicz, from Michigan, attended the University of Michigan Law School. She is a partner at Michael S. Olin, P.A., and an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law.

“I am honored to serve Seraphic Fire, which brings such remarkable music and energy to the South Florida community,” said Ms. Fotiu-Wojtowicz.  “This is an exciting time for Seraphic Fire as it expands its audience at the national level while continuing its commitment to great art and innovative programming here at home.”

Outgoing Chair A. Peter Burleigh – credited with guiding the organization through a period of transition and growth, searching for and hiring a new managing director among other staff changes, and increasing annual fund gifts by nearly $200,000 – will remain on the Board. Mr. Burleigh led Seraphic Fire in planning its 2015-2016 Northeast Residencies in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., and helped solidify a growing and evolving Board responsible for stewarding the organization towards a robust future in South Florida.

New to the Board are:

  • Janet Shein, from Pennsylvania, is a serious art collector along with her husband Joe. They are both enthusiastic supports of the arts in the South Florida community, including the New World Symphony.
  • Carolyn Woodyer, formerly a chef at Kensington Palace in London, works for the Miami Jewish Health Systems and has been a Seraphic Fire season subscriber for many years.
  • Matthew Anderson, formerly a business developer for Colliers International, is fast becoming an active community leader in Miami, serving as a member of the Beacon Council’s New Leaders Task Force and a Trustee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. He is also on the Advisory Board for the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation, and an Executive Committee member of the United Way Young Leaders.
  • Ana Marmol is the Vice President and CFO for Farrey’s Lighting & Bath, a company she has been with for over 30 years.
  • Dr. Thomas C. Boyd, who joined the Board at the January meeting, is the Dean and Vice President of Kaplan University’s School of Business and Information Technology.

Continuing her tireless work on the Board of Directors is Seraphic Fire’s founding Board Chair, Joanne Schulte.

“We are indebted to all our Board members, past and current, for their support, wisdom, and leadership,” said Seraphic Fire’s Founder and Artistic Director Patrick Dupré Quigley. “I am in awe of the passion that drives these individuals to give so much – a passion powered by the incredible music all of the artists of Seraphic Fire are able to create every month in South Florida thanks to the continued support of our friends, patrons, and donors.”

Seraphic Fire: Looking Ahead

The growing Board will lead the organization as it works to become more visible in the South Florida community through affordable and inspiring performances, an enhanced outreach presence in the community by the Seraphic Fire artists, and further developing its strong financial position for longevity with increased private and corporate support.

Seraphic Fire will also embark on a series of Northeast performances, bringing three of its larger choral orchestral programs to Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C. In November, February, and April of the coming season, the group will travel to each of the three cities to perform works such as Charpentier's Te Deum, Mozart's Requiem, and Brahms's The German Requiem. The concerts are free, and tickets will be made available through Seraphic Fire beginning on September 8th.

In South Florida, Seraphic Fire will continue bringing top talent from around the country for performances ranging from its Grammy®-nominated Christmas concerts to larger scale productions of repertoire like Handel's Coronation Anthems in conjunction with the New York-based period ensemble, The Sebastians. Seraphic Fire will also collaborate with the New World Symphony in a program to include Steve Reich's The Desert Music, conducted by Patrick Dupré Quigley.

During the upcoming 14th Season, and as it looks towards the 15th Anniversary Season milestone, Seraphic Fire will present more South Florida concerts than ever, and will also see the introduction of a Thursday Evening Concert Series at Moorings Presbyterian in Naples, beginning with their October Schubert: Mass in G program.

The Board of Directors will oversee responsible growth locally – and nationally with the addition of the ensemble’s Northeast Residencies – through a carefully planned budgeting process. Seraphic Fire’s fiscal year ending May 31, shows a modest surplus, and the Board anticipates a similar result for the 2015-2016 season.