Music Hıstory 101 Artistic Director Patrick Dupre Quigley shares the story behind

By Beth Braswell and Lauren Schiffer Leger

Patrick Quigley listens to feedback from Seraphic Fire audiences. In fact, comments from patrons are what inspired a whole season of music. “As we were designing the season for this year, we had just conducted a patron survey to find out what they liked so much about Seraphic Fire,” says Quigley. “In addition to the awesome artistry of our amazing musicians and the incredible repertoire, we also found out that learning more about the music was important to our audience members. So, when we created this season, Music History 101, we wanted to lean into that idea.”

Concerts in the season span the history of classical music, with each exploring the unique characteristics of a pivotal creative era. Quigley will open up the season by conducting a concert titled A Brief History of Western Music: a sort of thesis to be expounded on in the rest of the season. “This program illustrates, in 75 minutes, what the evolution of music has been over 1,000 years,” says Quigley of the October concert. In addition to highlights from a millennium of music, the concert will follow the evolution of one tune in particular, Alma Redemptoris Mater. “That work shows up a few times in the show,” Quigley explains, “first as its original Gregorian chant. It also shows up as an eight-voice double choir motet by Tomás Luis de Victoria, and then we finish the show with a contemporary work by Cecilia McDowall that's also the same tune. I am excited to demonstrate the evolution in music history that allowed that piece of music to transform, over time, from what it was initially to what it ended up sounding like in the 21st century.”

The theme of Music History 101 extends beyond the concerts themselves into experiences that offer opportunities for patrons to become music scholars. Quigley describes a new feature of 2024-2025 programming, “A truly exciting part of this season is the incorporation of top American music historians and professors from institutions across the United States, who are advising both me and our guest conductors about the music we're going to perform.” Readers can find in-depth articles from these scholars later in this magazine (starting page 10). According to Quigley, the features “provide a greater understanding about how this music fits into the larger bits of history that surround it.” The scholars will also present lectures on Zoom two weeks before each concert. “The musicologists will talk about the music that we're going to be performing, and they will take patron questions,” describes Quigley. “It’s exciting that our patrons can interact with some of the greatest musical minds in the United States.”

As opening night draws closer, Seraphic Fire’s Artistic Director is eager to share what he sees as a stellar lineup: “This season is going to be the best yet, giving our audiences not only great entertainment and music, but also knowledge for the rest of their lives.”

To learn more about lectures with music scholars this season, visit SeraphicFire.org/Education.