Apollo’s Fire

Contact Information

(216) 320-0012

amortellaro@apollosfire.org

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Type of Organization

Performing Ensemble

About

“The U.S.A.’s hottest baroque band” – Classical Music Magazine, UK

Named for the classical god of music, healing, and the sun, APOLLO’S FIRE is the international baroque orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio.  The GRAMMY-winning ensemble was founded by harpsichordist and conductor Jeannette Sorrell, and is hailed as “one of the pre-eminent period-instrument ensembles” (The Independent, London).  Apollo’s Fire has drawn international attention for artistic spontaneity and technical excellence.  At home in Cleveland, Apollo’s Fire frequently enjoys sold-out performances at its subscription series, which has drawn national attention for creative programming.  

As a touring ensemble on the international stage, Apollo’s Fire is hailed as “one of the pre-eminent period-instrument ensembles” (THE INDEPENDENT, London). Apollo’s Fire has made five European tours, including sold-out concerts at the BBC Proms (London), the Aldeburgh Festival, Wigmore Hall, and the Madrid Royal Theatre, as well as concerts at the National Concert Hall of Ireland (Dublin) and the Irish National Opera House (Wexford), among others.  AF’s 2014 concert in London was chosen by the Telegraph as one of the “Best 5 Classical Concerts of the Year.”

North American tour engagements include sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall (2018), the Tanglewood Festival (2015 and 2017), the Ravinia Festival, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY (2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018), the Boston Early Music Festival series, and the Library of Congress, as well as concerts at the Aspen Music Festival, and major venues in Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco.  The ensemble’s notable U.S. tours include two major tours of the Monteverdi Vespers (2010 and 2014); a 9-concert tour of the Brandenburg Concertos in 2013; and a semi-staged touring production of Monteverdi’s L’ORFEO in 2018.

An active recording ensemble, AF has released 26 commercial CDs, and currently records for the British label AVIE. With critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, eight of the albums have become bestsellers on the Billboard classical charts, including the Monteverdi Vespers, Brandenburg Concertos, and five creative crossover programs by Jeannette Sorrell. Apollo’s Fire won a GRAMMY award in 2019 for the album “Songs of Orpheus,” with tenor Karim Sulayman.