2023-2024 Subscription Concerts
DOWNLOAD the 2023-2024 Season Brochure
29 concerts of 8 programs, brought to your doorstep at venues around Northeast Ohio!
Plus…
- Baroque Bistro concerts at the Music Box Supper Club (Cleveland) and BLU Jazz+ (Akron)
- FREE Family Concerts at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Akron Art Museum
- 6 concerts of 4 programs on AF’s Windy City Series in Chicago
- 4 concerts on the Worldwide Watch-at-Home Series
Program #1:
Splendour in London
Concert-Video Now Available!
Purcell and Handel gave artistic voice to the British royal family’s most festive and poignant moments. From Handel’s Water Music, written for a royal boating party, to lively excerpts from Purcell’s King Arthur, to the heartbreakingly beautiful Funeral Music for Queen Mary, Jeannette Sorrell leads the acclaimed Apollo’s Singers with a sumptuous orchestra worthy of Buckingham Palace.
Generously sponsored by Michael Frank
Program #2:
HANDEL’S Israel in Egypt
Concert-Video Now Available!
Amanda Forsythe & Sonya Headlam, soprano
Cody Bowers, countertenor
Jacob Perry, tenor
Edward Vogel, baritone
with Apollo’s Singers
Catch Jeannette Sorrell’s acclaimed adaptation of Israel in Egypt before she conducts it with the NY Philharmonic! Storms and plagues leap off the page in this orchestral showpiece.
“Sorrell is a masterful musical storyteller. Her adaptation [of Israel in Egypt] gives the work a compelling dramatic arc, brought off brilliantly by her singers and players…. thrilling.”
– Seen & Heard International, UK
Generously sponsored by David Reimer and Raffaele Di Lallo
Program #3:
Nights in Venice
November 9-10
Erica Schuller, soprano | Daphna Mor, recorder
also featuring violinists Alan Choo, Emi Tanabe, and Edwin Huizinga
Nighttime in old Venice: music floating from cafés provided inspiration for composers from Claudio Monteverdi to Antonio Vivaldi. In our Venetian evening, dueling violinists set sparks flying in two Vivaldi double-concertos. Highlights from Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and the famous Lamento della Ninfa remind us that love and betrayal often go hand in hand. The program culminates with a visit to the Jewish Ghetto of Venice – the scene of lively dances and the delightful Sephardic party-piece, Seven Ways to Cook Eggplant.
Generously sponsored by Karen & Richard Spector
Program #4:
FIRE & JOY from Bach and Vivaldi
November 16-19
featuring Alan Choo, violin; Debra Nagy, oboe
Nicole Divall, viola d’amore
Both J.S. Bach and Vivaldi put their virtuosity in the service of moods – fiery, serene, playful, or joyful. In this program of virtuoso concertos and sinfonias, Apollo’s Fire principal players take turns stepping into the spotlight. Meet the viola d’amore, an instrument of love!
Generously sponsored by Miloslava Mervart in memory of Michael Mervart
Program #5:
WASSAIL! An Irish-Appalachian Christmas
Concert-Video Now Available!
Christmas night in Ireland, 1849: Families and friends gather for singing, storytelling, plenty of wassail, and tearful farewells – as many of them prepare to depart for America the next day.
This heartwarming program from Jeannette Sorrell follows the hopes and fears of the Irish who bravely crossed the Atlantic, bringing their music with them. Irish singer Fiona Gillespie joins with fiddlers, medieval harp, hammered dulcimer, and bagpipes in this communal celebration of the American immigrant experience – welcoming Christmas with LOVE, SINGING, DANCING and PRAYER.
Generously sponsored by Ellen & Michael Meehan
Program #6:
BIBER’S SACRED MYSTERIES: The Rosary Sonatas for Violin
February 15-17 & 19
Heinrich Biber’s stunning Sonatas on the Mysteries of the Rosary have haunted violinists for centuries. Each of these virtuosic sonatas tells a dramatic story from the life of Christ – but the performer must discover and interpret the story through the secrets of the music. AF Concertmaster Alan Choo and six friends on cello and plucked instruments bring drama and reverence to these masterpieces as they celebrate the release of their new album.
“Alan Choo was a dynamo, delivering lines with panache. He exemplified virtuosity.”
– Cleveland Plain Dealer
Program #7:
¡HISPANIA! A Voyage from Spain to the Americas
March 20-23
Sophia Burgos, soprano
Marija Temo, flamenco guitarist & singer
In this vibrant musical journey from 16th-century Spain to baroque Latin America, music of Spanish composers Diego Ortiz, Gaspar Sanz, and Santiago de Murcia blends virtuosity with lively dance rhythms. Sephardic ballads from the Jewish Quarter of Seville celebrate love and life. Crossing the Atlantic, we encounter a joyful mix of Hispanic and Caribbean influences. Internationally-acclaimed Puerto Rican soprano Sophia Burgos joins friends on strings, harp, guitars, and percussion.
Generously sponsored by George Litman, M.D.
Program #8:
BACH’S Easter Oratorio
April 25-28
Andréa Walker, soprano
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor
Lawrence Wiliford, tenor
Edward Vogel, baritone
with Apollo’s Singers
A rare chance to hear J.S. Bach’s dramatic and exuberant Easter masterpiece! Jeannette Sorrell leads soloists, choir, three trumpets, and a festive orchestra.
“Exquisite moments. Sorrell’s magnificent chorus [sang] to breathtaking effect…” – New York Times
Tickets are on sale now! Make sure you are on our mailing list to receive a copy of the season brochure. Sign up for the email list here or the postal list here.
Questions? Call the friendly AF box office staff at 216.320.0012.