Welcome to the new edition of the ORACLE, the e-newsletter of Apollo’s Fire. Now a semi-annual publication, the Oracle will focus on the ensemble’s national activities as well as highlights from our subscription concerts, tours, broadcasts and recordings.

In this issue you can also learn about Apollo’s Fire’s new activities in television and radio, as well our Young Artist apprentice program.

For a behind-the-scenes look at any of our 2008/09 subscription programs in Northeast Ohio, visit our new Backstage Pass area at www.apollosfire.org (coming soon!). There you will find interviews with guest artists, news about our supporters and other local tidbits.

No matter where you are, the ORACLE will bring you closer to the passion and artistry of Apollo’s Fire. Keep the fire burning – Read on and Enjoy!

It’s been over two years in the making – Apollo’s Fire’s weekly radio series will debut in January! This 13-week series of live concert performances is being syndicated to classical stations throughout North America, under the auspices of WCLV’s “Seaway” syndication network, which also broadcasts the Cleveland Orchestra.

The series will also be carried by member stations of the European Broadcasting Union. Several of the ensemble’s holiday specials on NPR have been carried by the EBU in recent years -- Thanks to our fans in in France and Germany for your great emails!

Jeannette Sorrell and Grammy award-winning recording engineer Tom Knab devoted much of the summer to preparing the recordings for broadcast. Sorrell said, “It’s been fascinating work – and very rewarding. There’s no question that the excitement of the audience has an impact on the way we play. Live performances feel more like… bicycle racing – including the danger - as opposed to a CD recording which is more like driving safely in a clean and shiny car. Both are compelling, but very different.”

Recording of the concerts for the last two years has been supported by a special Advancement Grant from the Cleveland Foundation. Stay tuned for broadcast schedule details in the winter issue of the ORACLE.

These broadcasts are made possible in part by the

Apollo’s Fire was awarded one out of two grants given in the State of Ohio from the prestigious “American Masterpieces” program of the National Endowment for the Arts. The $25,000 grant will support a 2009 tour and recording of Music Director Jeannette Sorrell’s new crossover program, “Come to the River:  An Early American Gathering.”

“I’ve been dreaming up this program for two years,” says Sorrell, “and I’m thrilled that the NEA is helping us produce it. Mixing a few singer-actors with some Old Time folk players, we’ll journey through the rich traditions of shape-note singing, from a Southern revival meeting to a New England barn dance – it’s a high-energy and soulful experience! Anyone who liked the music in O Brother Where Art Thou will love this music.”

Local performances of “Come to the River” will be presented in June 2009 as the annual “Countryside Concerts” program – Apollo’s Fire’s popular crossover series in rustic venues.

VC REPORTER (VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA)
“A little theatre mixed in with a great deal of extraordinarily rich folk music, performed with bravura excellence. The mesmerizing performance drew shouts from the usually subdued Ojai Festival crowd. The booth selling their CD was mobbed, and sold out within minutes.”

FANFARE RECORD MAGAZINE
“Dazzling fiddle playing and delicious swing . . . all done with great spirit and brio . . . Adds to the sparks already ignited by Apollo’s Fire and its charming, immensely gifted young director.”

• [September 2008] Apollo's Fire Announces 2008-2009 Season (download PDF)
• [June 2008] Apollo's Fire Names New Managing Director (download PDF)

THE BOSTON GLOBE
“One of America’s leading baroque orchestras, capable of competing with Europe’s much-recorded bands.”

GRAMOPHONE
“Led by a brilliant harpsichordist, Jeannette Sorrell, the ensemble exudes stylish energy . . . a blend of scholarship and visceral intensity.”

THE WASHINGTON POST
“They were turning people away at the door . . . That unusually large turnout was warranted by the stylishness and boundless verve of Jeannette Sorrell and her musicians. Apollo’s Fire is a superb ensemble.”

AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
“Sorrell has developed one of the most enterprising and plucky earlymusic ensembles in the nation today.”

THE PLAIN DEALER
"Apollo’s Singers were breathtaking. Every phrase the chorus sang was molded down to the tiniest nuance. Pitch, balance, enunciation, you-name-it were well-nigh perfect."

INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW
“Sorrell and her fine young choir lavish attention on every phrase and inflexion. The exhilaration and sense of discovery is utterly infectious . . . An unanticipated delight.”

Since 2002, Jeannette Sorrell and her principal players have helped to train future Apollo’s Fire musicians by working with advanced conservatory students, sharing Apollo’s Fire’s particular style and approach to baroque music.

The program developed out of Jeannette Sorrell’s desire to bridge the gap for talented students on the verge of professional careers. Having worked extensively with students in Oberlin Conservatory’s Baroque Orchestra, Sorrell observed that the most advanced baroque students reach a kind of plateau in their development.

“I came to realize that the most advanced baroque students need an experience that no conservatory can provide,” Sorrell said. “The experience of being the only student in a string section where the other players all share a unified approach to style and intonation. Without this even the most talented students have to make an enormous leap to win a spot in a professional baroque orchestra – without really knowing what the guideposts are.”

Sorrell and her colleagues, including Cynthia Roberts and René Schiffer, take turns coaching advanced students from the major conservatories – primarily Oberlin and the Cleveland Institute of Music. From there outstanding students are invited to audition for an apprentice position in the ensemble. Apprentices perform alongside the more seasoned musicians of AF, participating in touring, recording, and subscription concerts, as well as all aspects of the Education & Outreach Program. Apprentices are eligible to become full-fledged members of AF after two years of successful participation in the program.

The program has guided many talented young musicians into professional careers. Former apprentices include violinists Johanna Novom, Evan Few and Carrie Krause, cellist Rachel Henderson, and violist Karina Schmitz – all now professional period specialists. Not only does the program serve to shape the next generation of early music performers, but it also helps ensure that Apollo’s Fire maintains its highest standards of performance even when veteran players eventually become unavailable for free-lance work.

For further information on the Young Artist Apprentice Program, contact Carrie Bean, Artistic Operations Coordinator, at 800.314.2535 or cbean@apollosfire.org.

Known to Apollo’s Fire audiences as the very petite violinist who stands on her own special podium, Johanna Novom proved that Small is Mighty. The 24-year-old former apprentice of Apollo’s Fire tied for First Prize at the International Young Artist Baroque Violin Competition, held in June 2008 under the auspices of the American Bach Soloists in San Francisco.

The prestigious competition carries generous cash prizes as well as the opportunity for a solo performance with the American Bach Soloists orchestra during the 2009-10 season.

Ms. Novom performed Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 4 and the E major Partita during the final round, playing on a baroque violin borrowed from Apollo’s Fire violinist Miho Hashizume. With an age limit of 30 for this competition, Ms. Novom was the youngest of the finalists, and one of the youngest semi-finalists. 

Ms. Novom had already moved from apprentice to professional status in Apollo’s Fire in only one year. She will perform as concertmaster in the December concerts of Handel’s Messiah.

Brava, signorina!

Managing Director Jacqueline Taylor Hones a Crack Young Administrative Team
and Welcomes New Board President

In the world of concert production there is nothing more exciting than the anticipation of a brand new season. At Apollo’s Fire the energy is vibrant as a great new team of people are hard at workdoing things like preparing music, booking flights, placing radio ads, selling tickets and of course raising the money to make it all happen.  It takes a team of highly motivated and devoted individuals to ensure a successful season:

Managing Director Jacqueline (“Jacqui”) Taylor joined Apollo’s Fire on June 1, bringing with her the experience of running the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, among other projects. She has wasted no time in shaping Apollo’s Fire’s talented young staff into a model of efficient professionalism. Among them is:

“Apollo’s Fire is a nimble and quickly-growing organization,” says Taylor. “For that reason it’s a very exciting place to work, especially for a young person with high ambitions in arts management. AF allows each person to acquire a thorough understanding of how the organization works – far more so than in a large institution.”

Of course all non-profits are only as strong as their Board of Directors, and Apollo’s Fire boasts an especially devoted group of volunteers from throughout Northeast Ohio. “Their passion for this organization is electric,” says Taylor. I am incredibly grateful to be working with the new president, Norm Harbert, whose leadership and business acumen are simply invaluable. And Norm’s predecessor, Marjorie Kitchell, along with many others, have made me feel so welcome and confident that AF is on the right track.”