Seraphic Fire has had a remarkable year. In 2012 the Miami-based chamber choir celebrated its 10th anniversary, was a classical Grammy nominee for two albums, signed a recording distribution deal with the innovative classical label Naxos, gave acclaimed performances of Bach’s monumental Mass in B Minor and presented a wide-ranging exploration of psalm settings by composers from the Renaissance to the 21st century. To conclude this landmark annum, the choir offered highlights from Handel’s Messiah, the group’s first performance of this Christmas perennial in two seasons.

Most previous Seraphic Fire performances of Messiah in Miami have taken place at the Arsht Center. The sheer size of the Knight Concert Hall tended to overwhelm the intimate forces of Patrick Quigley’s historically informed performances. On Saturday night the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Coral Gables proved more acoustically friendly, with the singers and instrumentalists gaining an immediacy and impact not possible in larger venues.

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