  We report on a highly selective experimental setup for particle-$\gamma$
coincidence experiments at the Super-Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph (SE-SPS) of
the John D. Fox Superconducting Linear Accelerator Laboratory at Florida State
University (FSU) using fast CeBr$_3$ scintillators for $\gamma$-ray detection.
Specifically, we report on the results of characterization tests for the first
five CeBr$_3$ scintillation detectors of the CeBr$_3$ Array (CeBrA) with
respect to energy resolution and timing characteristics. We also present
results from the first particle-$\gamma$ coincidence experiments successfully
performed with the CeBrA demonstrator and the FSU SE-SPS. We show that with the
new setup, $\gamma$-decay branching ratios and particle-$\gamma$ angular
correlations can be measured very selectively using narrow excitation energy
gates, which are possible thanks to the excellent particle energy resolution of
the SE-SPS. In addition, we highlight that nuclear level lifetimes in the
nanoseconds regime can be determined by measuring the time difference between
particle detection with the SE-SPS focal-plane scintillator and $\gamma$-ray
detection with the fast CeBrA detectors. Selective excitation energy gates with
the SE-SPS exclude any feeding contributions to these lifetimes.
