Rising conductor Patrick Dupré Quigley to make MOB debut

Photo credit: Dario Acosta

“At a church north of Miami, the acclaimed conductor Patrick Dupré Quigley was explaining a work that would be a tough sell to even the most musically sophisticated audience.

Hildegard of Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum, a choral morality play nearly 900 years old, lacks much in the way of traditional harmony, conventional tunes or plot. But Quigley was fascinated by the piece, the story of a female soul tempted by the Devil.

“From the very beginning of the work, you are stunned by the unity of composition,” said Quigley, founder of the Miami choir Seraphic Fire and a master of drawing audiences in for some unusual experiences. “She used motifs in a way that Wagner would use leitmotifs hundreds of years in the future.”

A conductor in increasing demand across the United States, Quigley makes his debut with Music of the Baroque Thursday night, leading the ensemble’s Holiday Brass & Choral Concerts at various locations through Sunday. He will return to MOB in April to lead a program centered on the French Baroque.

Under Quigley’s leadership as artistic director, Seraphic Fire has grown from a south Miami church choir to a nationally known ensemble that recruits singers from across the United States. The choir has snagged two Grammy nominations, seized (briefly) a spot on the iTunes chart ahead of a hit by Lady Gaga, and developed a deep and loyal audience and donor base that has allowed it to thrive as other classical organizations cut back.”