Seraphic Fire's luminous, scrupulously refined vocalism in classical repertoire is so well-known a commodity that one is constantly taken aback by the group's ability to tackle populist genres that seem light years removed from its home ground.

Artistic director Patrick Quigley and the choir are serving up a nice postseason summer encore of Amazing Grace,a program of bluegrass and gospel music just released on CD and presented Wednesday night at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Allapattah.

With the celebrated hymn as leitmotif, the program traced a fascinating path through the American musical landscape, from the colonial composer William Billings through 19th century revivalism to bluegrass, country and gospel and Pentecostal church traditions.

Quigley, a native of New Orleans, grew up amid the Southern church musical milieu, and the performance conveyed a striking freshness and joy of discovery. Not everything worked equally well. The darker timbres, volatility and rough-edged immediacy of genuine gospel singers are difficult to replicate by classically trained voices.

But Quigley and Seraphic Fire did a commendable job of charting a path through our native musical tradition. The performances communicated the variety, spiritual fervor and rough, honest eloquence of this rich, homegrown music, delivered with the enthusiasm, scrupulous research and attention to detail Seraphic Fire brings to a Palestrina mass or Bach motet.

In addition to bringing this populist music to new audiences and nontraditional venues, the choir also showcased its flexibility, as did the alarmingly versatile Quigley, who fulfilled his roles as choir director, gospel baritone and pianist with equal assurance and panache.

The women's quartet displayed its sweet-toned purity in Where We'll Never Grow Old,and the men delivered a buoyant country swing to I'll Fly Away.

Bluegrass was represented with two selections from the Forbes Family with a beautiful, rapt delicacy to I Wonder What They're Doing There Now and a rousing fervor to In My Robe of White.

The program was an apt display for the gifted artists as individuals. Baritone Paul Max Tipton was a wonderfully characterful soloist in Hank Williams' I Saw the Light.

Sara Guttenberg displayed her resplendent soprano in Angel Band, and Sam Spears provided affecting vocalism in Through It All.

Quigley fearlessly took the solo spotlight, doing a creditable job as gospel lead singer in a set including Amazing Grace, Wake Up This Mornin' and Until I Found The Lord. And countertenor Reginald L. Mobley provided affecting, deeply moving singing conveying the quiet, hopeful qualities of Thomas Dorsey's Precious Lord.

Lawrence A. Johnson is The Miami Herald's classical music critic.

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