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In 1600, Italy was home to a fascinating melting pot of Jews from northern Europe, Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East. Though confined to crowded ghettos, the Italian Jews enlivened Italy with a vibrant mix of Sephardic and Ashkenazi musical traditions. In Venice and Mantua, Jewish and Catholic composers such as Salamone Rossi, Claudio Monteverdi, and Benedetto Marcello worked side by side and influenced each other. Our 15 musicians weave a musical tapestry, from prayer to feasting. Hebrew chants and baroque settings of the Psalms meet instrumental virtuosity – including a sparkling Sammartini concerto featuring Israeli recorder virtuoso Daphna Mor.

Filmed at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2017 & 2018, this communal celebration of the American immigrant experience, combines fiddlers, medieval harp, hammered dulcimer, bagpipes, singers, and children’s voices to evoke the Celtic roots of an Appalachian Christmas. From Christmas Eve in medieval Scotland to folk carols and shape-note hymns at a toe-tapping Christmas gathering in Virginia… we follow the journeys of the Irish and Scottish settlers who bravely crossed the Atlantic. The people of the mountains welcome Christmas with LOVE, SINGING, DANCING and PRAYER.

Our season-long pilgrimage to wellness ends with an exuberant celebration of Nature. If you thought you knew Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, be prepared for surprises. Apollo’s Fire and Jeannette Sorrell bring these beloved concertos to life as the revolutionary acts of musical storytelling they were meant to be – a vivid and joyful depiction of traditional life in the Italian countryside. The program also features dueling cellists in Vivaldi’s stormy Concerto for Two Cellos.

VIRTUAL TICKETS – To purchase Watch-at-Home tickets, click on the Purchase Tickets button, then choose “March 29” from the drop-down menu. This is the date on which you will receive access to the video. You will be able to watch the video at any time for 30 days beginning on March 29th.

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The harp was the voice of the marginalized peoples of the British Isles – Irish, Welsh, and Scots. Ireland’s legendary blind harper, Turlough O’Carolan, was one of several great harpers of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today’s young harpist troubadour, Anna O’Connell, sings and accompanies herself on the harp in the manner of the old Celtic harpists. Six Apollo’s Fire musicians on violins, flute, cello, hammered dulcimer, and lutes join Anna in sparkling music by O’Carolan, Dowland, and Purcell, along with Scottish and Irish folk songs.

Long ago in the palace of Ferrara, three renowned ladies entertained princes with their astonishing musicianship. The “Tre Donne di Ferrara” (Three Ladies of Ferrara) were probably the first female professional musicians. Apollo’s Fire collaborates with three stunning Amandas in virtuoso trios written for the Ferrara ladies, alongside soulful songs by Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini and lively duets from Monteverdi’s playful Scherzi Musicali. Eight instrumentalists join in the fun with dances from the palace and the countryside.

Read the Reviews
“An unforgettable ride… This ensemble is a cultural treasure, particularly in its willingness to grapple with the world’s problems and offer catharsis.”
– Seen & Heard International (UK)

“The program draws poignant parallels to today. No one else.. gives Dowland and Purcell such suave, dramatic treatment. Soprano Ashlee Foreman delivers a tour-de-force in …

Sparks fly as Apollo’s Fire soloists take turns stepping into the virtuoso spotlight. The dazzling soprano Amanda Forsythe joins virtuoso trumpeter Steve Marquardt for Bach’s exhilarating cantata, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen – a Northeast Ohio period-instrument premiere!

Bach’s resplendent masterpiece is rarely performed live, due to the extraordinary forces required: 2 orchestras, 2 choirs, soloists, and children’s choir. Jeannette Sorrell leads a dramatic presentation, with singers performing from memory in the character roles. Bach’s resounding sense of community envelopes the performance as the audience joins in singing the chorales – just as Bach’s congregation did nearly 300 years ago.

Premiered last year to sold-out crowds, Jeannette Sorrell’s evocation of Old Jerusalem blends music and poetry from the Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Armenian quarters of the Old City. Selections from Monteverdi’s great Vespers of 1610 echo with Arabic love songs and rapturous singing of Jewish cantors. The performers, including musicians of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds, join in celebration of brotherhood and sisterhood.

Apollo’s Fire celebrates Valentine’s Day with love songs, fire, and flirtation in this Italian music-party with Monteverdi and Vivaldi. Olivier Brault and three other violin soloists play with romance and flirtation in spicy double-concertos of Vivaldi. Monteverdi provides love duets and playful tiffs from the Scherzi Musicali. The program also includes works by Barbara Strozzi …

Hear the Music
No.1 Chorus: “Jauchzet, frohlocket”
English Baroque Soloists | John Eliot Gardiner | Bach’s Christmas Oratorio

Meet the Artists

Hear the Music
Scarborough Fayre (arr. J. Sorrell)
Apollo’s Fire with Sandra Simon, vocals | Jeannette Sorrell | Scarborough Fayre

The Flowers of the Forest (arr. J. Sorrell)
Apollo’s Fire with Kathie Stewart, flute | Jeannette Sorrell | Scarborough Fayre

Wee be Souldiers Three
The New World Renaissance Band | Owain Phyfe

Sheep Under the Snow (arr. S.P. Gilmore, R. Schiffer)
Apollo’s Fire …

Around 1600, the stones of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice echoed as composers placed groups of brass instruments, strings, lutes, and singers in different parts of the church. Apollo’s Fire brass players take the spotlight in the stunning music of Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Praetorius, and Schütz.

Never before heard on period instruments in Northeast Ohio, Bach’s magnificent Mass features a large and colorful orchestra, including several unusual instruments. Conductor Jeannette Sorrell and her choir and orchestra are internationally respected for compelling performances of Bach’s sacred works.

This sequel to last year’s hit program, “Three Duels and a Wedding,” takes a darker turn… sort of. Sparks fly as pairs of virtuoso soloists square off in dueling quadruple-concertos of Vivaldi, as well as the exhilarating Brandenburg Concerto no. 3. Telemann’s zany Funeral Cantata for a Dead Canary, delivered with tragic-comic aplomb by singer-actor Jeffrey Strauss, will leave you in tears… of laughter.

Join four violinist “angels” as they journey through the ancient Mysteries of the Rosary – from the Annunciation through the Crucifixion and the triumphal Resurrection. Each of these stunning sonatas by Heinrich Biber uses a different and special tuning of the violin. With cello, theorbos, and organ, this is an evening of gorgeous virtuosity.