From the President

Greetings from Apollo’s Fire and welcome to Elegance: The Harper’s Voice! We welcome young harpist troubadour Anna O’Connell, making her debut with Apollo’s Fire. Anna sings and accompanies herself on the harp in the manner of the old Celtic harpists, alongside Jeannette Sorrell and our treasured Apollo’s Fire musicians.

Save the Dates – not one but two Galas this summer! We celebrate the 25th anniversary of our Akron subscription series with The Silver Soirée on Thursday, July 29th. We toast to this longstanding love-affair between Apollo’s Fire and Akron. Enjoy an evening of cocktails, dinner, auction, and music of Bach and friends! Join us in the exquisite outdoor pavilion at Gervasi Vineyard in North Canton, OH.

Our annual Cleveland Gala, Sunday in the Park with Johann will be celebrated this summer amid the lush setting of scenic Mapleside Farms in Brunswick, OH. Don’t miss this event under the stars, scheduled for Sunday, July 25th. The elegant evening includes cocktails, silent auction, sit-down dinner, and concert. Both of these events are fun and festive opportunities to enjoy the company of friends and support our beloved baroque orchestra. Stay tuned for more information to be announced! Both Gala events will be enjoyed outdoors, and are being planned with your safety in mind. Apollo’s Fire will implement Ohio’s safety guidelines, and may include social distancing, facial masks, and capacity limits.

Apollo’s Fire and Jeannette Sorrell are proud to launch I ♥ Music: The Apollo’s Fire Discovery Series. This program is a new virtual learning series for young children, grades K-2. Five episodes will be released during April 2021 – perfect for virtual classroom learning or at-home enrichment activities for young children.

Love Apollo’s Fire, and want to hear more? For your enjoyment, four full-length concert-videos from our 2020-2021 subscription season are now available! Watch these inspiring performances anytime for 30 days on your computer, tablet, or “Smart TV.” Visit apollosfire.org for more information and to rent a concert video.

We are grateful for the long-standing support of our Apollo’s Fire friends and patrons. Your support this season through the Annual Fund has made our music possible, and we are grateful. Many of you have donated to the Musicians’ Fund, through which AF has distributed more than $170,000 to our musicians in partial fees for canceled concerts during the pandemic and in modest “COVID-19 Relief Grants“ to those of our core musicians who are most in need. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support!

Enjoy the performance!

Charles A. Bittenbender, President of the Board