Since its debut performance in 1997, The Seraphim Singers has created a special niche among Boston's performing elite with sensitive and probing performances of sacred choral music. Founded and directed by Jennifer Lester, the ensemble consists mostly of organists, composers, and other professional musicians whose vast knowledge and experience nourishes a passion for arresting and demanding repertoire. In residence at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (known fondly among Bostonians as "Mission Church"), The Seraphim Singers has honed refined interpretations of Roman Catholic masterworks, from Monteverdi and Byrd in the Renaissance to Poulenc and Durufle in the twentieth-century. Also committed to new music, particularly by local composers, the ensemble has given premiere performances of works by Julian Wachner, Elliott Gyger, Stanley Hoffman, Graham Ramsay, Eric Sawyer, and Carlyle Sharpe, and has recorded choral compositions of Elliott Gyger for the Arsis label. In integrating the old with the new, The Seraphim Singers has consistently brought to light the timeless transcendence inherent in all great sacred choral compositions.