By Rhett Del Campo, managing director of Seraphic Fire, a 2013 winner of Knight Arts Challenge South Florida

Knight Foundation has invested $100 million in South Florida the last seven years. The cost of all cultural facilities South Florida has built in the last 10 years totals almost $1 billion. It’s hard to imagine any other other region in America is being this aggressive.

These numbers alone make South Florida deserving of international attention. Howard Herring, president and CEO of the New World Symphony, made these points at Classical South Florida’s Fifth Annual Leadership Gala Luncheon, which recognized the recipients of the Sanford L. and Dolores Ziff Honors for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts, which included the New World Symphony.

But these accomplishments also put the crosshairs on us––with great opportunity comes great responsibility. Herring used this moment, standing in front of a room full of many leaders responsible for this region’s artistic transformation, to make a pointed call to action: “Buildings are being built, but there is work to be done to fill them.”

Already innovative

I recently attended a New World Symphony “New Work” concert, where I was able to experience the production both inside and out, literally. Sitting in the hall for the first half of the concert, I enjoyed fascinating new musical ideas, including those of the spontaneous pop music icon Bruce Hornsby. He and the New World fellows had the audience bobbing along with some cool––dare I say––jams.

And there were even more people enjoying the Wallcast of the concert on the lawn outside. The duality of experience the New World Symphony has created is brilliant. They built the building and, more importantly, are filling it inside and out.

As a former New World fellow, I recall those New Work concerts––mostly because they meant a stressful week prior, digging deep into the organization’s closet of percussion instruments and worrying about how in the world it would all fit on stage without knocking something over. But I also remember a half-filled Lincoln Theatre (R.I.P.) and lukewarm receptions.

Not the case, clearly, for New World’s recent weekend of sold-out concerts that were also projected as free Wallcasts to thousands.

Moving forward

What will propel this city forward from here is thinking of our arts community as a family. With strong arts organizations both large and small, our strength in numbers is our biggest opportunity. While many cities see other local organizations as competition, those of us in Miami, through partnering, can see one another as investments––collaborators with whom we can partner to diversify our offerings and strengthen our community as a whole.

Along with the New World Symphony, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and, if I may be so bold, Seraphic Fire, there are emerging groups such as Sam Hyken’s Nu Deco Ensemble (an eclectic chamber orchestra that will present various styles of music, art and media collaborations in both traditional and alternative venues) and Amanda Crider’s IlluminArts (audience-engaging performers of art song, vocal chamber music and poetry in museums, galleries and other art spaces). These new groups need our support, as well; how can we help weave them into the mix?

Seraphic Fire’s Patrick Dupré Quigley wrote in a recent piece that the only reason to start an arts organization is if “there’s a need in your community that is not being filled by anyone else, and you are the person who has the foresight and the work ethic to fill that need.”

Both Nu Deco Ensemble and IlluminArts have this foresight, evidenced by their mission statements. But I’m sure they would also welcome a helping hand from those who have successfully forged the path. Knight Foundation values partnerships and collaborations, which create a strong tapestry that can withstand the test of time that arts organizations continually face.

Reaching South Miami-Dade

At Seraphic Fire, we also take our responsibility to this community very seriously. The confidence Knight Foundation shows in us is a sign that we are doing something right––but more importantly, it shows us that we need to continue the momentum and trajectory that others, such as New World, have begun.

Our new partnership with the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center is a vital piece of South Florida’s cultural framework as it allows us to reach an underserved market as well as those not readily engaged by Miami’s downtown scene. Thanks to Knight Foundation, we are able to take our programs to a new market, yet still perform in a world-class venue. In February, we are thrilled to bring the Sebastians down from New York once again to join us for a weekend of Joseph Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass.”

Seraphic Fire’s trajectory

During a recent strategic planning meeting, Patrick and I listened to music Seraphic Fire plans to perform in future seasons. A former percussionist, I was less familiar—to put it lightly—with some of the baroque and early classical period music, so I was reminded how thrilling and energizing it is to hear music like this for the first time. It also reminded me of our mission to bring these underperformed works to this community, and to do it at a level that exceeds the standards of any city.

Seraphic Fire’s next move aims to bring the attention to this community that it deserves by taking another bold step forward. Miami is redefining what it means to be a vibrant art city. By working together, arts organizations are forming a family that will support one another. Every supporter, philanthropist, patron and fan is making a contribution that helps make this city outstanding. Howard ended his speech by stating his belief in “culture as a primary defining aspect of Miami’s brand––culture as an economic development catalyst. [But] challenges lay ahead,” he cautioned, “and the responsibility rests squarely on our shoulders.”

Seraphic Fire performs Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass” Feb. 13-15. For details and tickets, visit seraphicfire.org. Knight Arts Challenge South Florida is open for entries through Feb. 23. Apply at knightarts.org.