Life & Work with Heidi Vass of Seraphour

Today we’d like to introduce you to the group Seraphour in a conversation with its founder Heidi Vass.

Hi Heidi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In many ways, Seraphour was a product of the Covid-19 pandemic. When concert halls and houses of worship fell silent, musicians were home. We were creating content and practicing, waiting for things to open up and singing to start again. It was from this silence that Seraphour was born. With a mission to bring something bright and hopeful out of the dark and quiet times of the pandemic, we began meeting and singing. We quickly discovered our purpose – the preservation and proliferation of the sacred canon as told through the lens of the female voice. It has been nearly two and a half years since our first (socially distanced) rehearsal. In that time, we’ve arrived on the Classical Music scene and really carved out a special niche. We released our debut album, “Angele Dei,” in October of 2021. We’ve been featured on classical radio, PBS and NPR from coast to coast. We began producing a music video series (highlighting sacred music in inspiring sacred spaces). We were named winners of the Beverly Hills National Competition (2022), and we have been sharing the light and beauty of our music with audiences all over Southern California. In that time we have really honed our sound and our mission. We are perhaps most excited about the work we are doing to contextualize contemporary classical sacred music for women’s voices – programming the works of living composers alongside well-established sacred music masters from the Renaissance through the 20th century. Through a series of commissions, we are also encouraging a new generation of composers to engage with timeless sacred texts and write for women’s voices. 2023 finds Seraphour singing all over Southern California and recording a brand new album – live in sacred spaces. We are looking forward to amazing new opportunities to share our music and invite our listeners to an encounter with the sacred and sublime.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with so many other industries and professions, Covid 19 really shut down singers. All our contracts and performance opportunities vanished overnight. Finding creative ways to get together and practice was a challenge and there were no performance series or venues to reach out to, so it made our initial entrance onto the music scene somewhat unorthodox. That said, without these challenges Seraphour would not exist. As individual professional singers, prior to the Pandemic, we would never have had the time to get together and create this group. In many ways, the Pandemic was the obstacle, but Seraphour itself was the solution – the balm that soothed our artistic souls. Getting together and singing, having a strong sense of purpose in our our work, building community within the group and simply having that space to be our musical selves was very healing. It’s that healing that we hope to share with our audiences.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
There are many amazing classical musicians, singers and chamber music groups in Southern California. We are grateful to be a part of such a vibrant and diverse community. That said, what makes Seraphour unique is our mission. We are dedicated to connecting the past and present through the lens of sacred beauty using the vehicle of the female voice. Building on the foundation of sacred texts and traditions, we hope to inspire our audiences to transcend the now and connect to something eternal and ethereal.

How do you think about happiness?
By any standard metric, I am an extremely happy person, but I don’t really think much about happiness. I tend to focus my energy on developing and cultivating purpose in my life – feeling that I am using my time, talents and energy pursuing beautiful things that can inspire and uplift others.Many people who seek happiness find themselves on a dopamine roller coaster – living for the highs and falling hard on the lows. For me, happiness is not the goal, it’s a symptom of a live well lived. For me, a life well lived requires leaning into my teleology. Seeking to understand my purpose and using the resources that I have, and that I am, to be the best version of myself. In doing so, I have to be disciplined, reflective and honest. In that process of daily renewal, I find contentment. From the place of contentment, I can enjoy the simple pleasures of life – a great cup of coffee, a conversation with one of my children, a smile from my husband, a liberating high note, a good book and a quiet day. Those moments make me happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.seraphour.com
• Instagram: @seraphour
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seraphour
• Youtube: @seraphour

Image Credits
GMR Media