A Pilgrimage of Hope
CHRISTMAS
on Sugarloaf Mountain
The 29th Season
2020-2021
An Irish-Appalachian Celebration
Passion. Period.
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EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
CHRISTMAS on Sugarloaf Mountain
Board of Directors
4
From the President
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Welcome Howard Bender
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Board Spotlight
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Program 12 Texts & Translations
14
The Musicians’ Fund
21
Notes on the Program
23
Soloist Profiles
34
Jeannette Sorrell
40
About Apollo’s Fire
44
Community Partners
45
Musician & Chorister Roster
47
Musician Profiles
48
Windy City Miniseries
50
The MOSAIC Project
51
Artistic Leadership Fellowship Program
52
Education Corner
60
Foundations & Government Support
64
Individual Support
65
Thank you to our Innkeepers & Charioteers
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Meet the Administration
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ON THE COVER: Going to Church Winter Time (modified) 18th C. Artist Unknown / Bridgeman Images
Board of Directors President Charles A. Bittenbender Chair James B. Rosenthal Vice Presidents Kathleen Cerveny Samuel D. Harris Daniel Shoskes, M.D. Treasurer Ryan Siebel Secretary William A. Powel III Chair Emeritus Norman C. Harbert
Jeffrey P. Barnett Howard Bender* William P. Blair III T. Clifford Deveny, M.D. James W. Ehrman Ann Fairhurst Andrew Gordon-Seifert Russell Hardy, M.D. Ka-Pi Hoh, Ph.D. Robert H. Jackson Thomas Forrest Kelly, Ph.D. Richard J. Lederman, M.D. Meng “Locky “ Liu Fred J. Livingstone Stephen A. Mahoney, M.D. Linda M. Olejko Kim S. Parry Brendan Patterson, M.D. Phillip Rowland-Seymour Noha Ryder* Jeannette Sorrell* Kathie Stewart** Dean Valore Robert Walcott Sue Yelanjian** *ex officio **Musicians’ Representative
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Continuo Society
Akron Advisory Board Thomas Clark, chair Esther Cooper Susan Delahanty Barbara Feld William Foster Walter Keith Lisa Martinez Lori Nelson Sandra R. Smith Libby Upton The Ambassadors Council Russell Hardy, M.D., chair Karl Bekeny Mitchell Blair Arthur Brooks Frances S. Buchholzer Robert Conrad William E. Conway Norman C. Harbert Samuel S. Hartwell Marguerite B. Humphrey Marjorie H. Kitchell Rabbi Roger C. Klein Annette Lowe Deborah H. Nash Nancy Osgood Clara Rankin Robert Reynolds, M.D. Kasia Rothenberg, M.D. Sandra R. Smith
Apollo’s Fire recognizes and sends continued thanks to all former members of the Board of Directors, who have so generously contributed their time, talents and financial resources over the years. Just as the continuo is the foundation of baroque music, these visionary individuals, through their service on the board, have been the foundation of Apollo’s Fire. Thomas S. Allen Bonnie Baker James Berlinski Christine Brez Arthur V. N. Brooks Sally Brown Richard Buffett Thomas Clark Nancy Bell Coe Ronald Crutcher Clarence Drichta Ross W. Duffin Suzanne Ferguson William J. Flemm Mark Floyd
John Gibbon Robert C. Gilkeson, M.D. Scott Gonia Joyce Graham Paula Grooms Jonathan Hatch John D. Heavenrich Conway Ivy Denise Jackson Delia Jarantilla Marjorie H. Kitchell Katherine Larson Donald Laubacher William H. Lennon David Love
Michael Lynn Polly Morganstern Donald W. Morrison Clyde L. Nash, M.D. Charlotte Newman Leroy B. Parks, Jr. Thomas F. Peterson, Jr. Jane Pickering Ronald Potts, M.D. Sanford Reichart Robert Reynolds, M.D. Shawn Riley Richard Rodda Alex Sales, D.D.S. Sandra F. Selby
William Sheldon, M.D. John Shelley Carsten Sierck Kempton Smith Kathie Lynne Stewart Rebecca Storey Eugenia Strauss Susan Troia Lee Warshawsky Carol Wipper Lynne Woodman Roger Wright Dave Young
From the President Greetings from Apollo’s Fire and welcome to Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain! It was a memorable night in 2018 when this program was performed to a packed audience at the Cleveland Museum of Art. We are delighted that it was filmed so beautifully that night, and that we can now bring it to you in your own home. This concert was recently featured by the Wall Street Journal in its selection of 5 virtual holiday concerts in North America and the UK. Sometimes haunting, often joyful, this is also a concert that causes us to think. Jeannette Sorrell weaves stories of the wanderings of the Irish immigrants in Appalachia alongside the wanderings of the biblical Mary and Joseph as they looked for an inn in Bethlehem. We hear the gorgeous melody of the Appalachian carol “I Wonder as I Wander,” reminding us that we are all migrants. In the isolation that we have all experienced in the last 9 months, we treasure our connection to YOU through music. We are honored to be a source of inspiration. Over 4,000 of you joined us for concerts in the last 4 months, either in person or through our new Worldwide Watch-at-Home series. “We have a new Covid lockdown here. But what could be better than watching your awesome Resilience Concert Video again? It‘s a ray of hope during these difficult times.” – Steffen from Germany You can help ensure that the music of Apollo’s Fire will resound into the future. Will you help us by making your tax-deductible gift today? You can donate at apollosfire.org or please call us at 216-320-0012 x6. Thank you for being part of the Apollo’s Fire family of patrons, musicians, and music-lovers.
It is not too late to subscribe to our 29th Season: A Pilgrimage of Hope! Three more concerts remain, and you can attend either in person, or at home. (Please see page 44) Your loyal support and generosity through this challenging time inspires us. We promise to inspire you with Passion. Period. Enjoy the performance! Charles A. Bittenbender President
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We are delighted that many of you have donated to the Apollo’s Fire Musicians’ Fund, established in March 2020 to support our musicians who are facing severe loss of income during the pandemic. To date, AF has paid $170,000 to our musicians in stipends and partial payments for cancelled concerts during the pandemic. Thank you for helping make this possible!
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Welcome our new Executive Director! Apollo’s Fire was delighted in March to welcome Howard Bender as our new Executive Director – and eight months later, we are still delighted to welcome him! Howard began his AF tenure exactly one week before the lockdown. So, while few of our patrons have been able to meet him in person, he has skillfully masterminded AF’s operations from his “command center” at Moreland Courts in Shaker Heights. Howard comes to us from Florida Grand Opera, where he was Chief Development Officer. He previously served as Vice President of Virginia HOWARD BENDER Opera. Prior to his career in arts management, Executive Director Howard had a flourishing career as an opera singer, performing in major opera houses on four continents. He sang for four seasons at the Metropolitan Opera and worked with many of the world’s leading conductors. He attended Oberlin Conservatory and The Juilliard School, and holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Howard has been a delightful asset to AF’s staff this year. We know that our patrons will enjoy meeting him!
Seven things you didn’t know about Howard Bender: 1.
Age when you started to perform and love early music: 14
3. Favorite Travel Destination: anywhere with Ellen Bender 4. Favorite NEO restaurant: too many to mention! 5. Favorite Tenor: At least 3 per category (sorry), Historic = Jussi Björling, Beniamino Gigli, Richard Tauber; Current = Piotr Beczala, Jonas Kaufmann, Joseph Calleja 6. Most unusual pre-teen accomplishment: pitching a no-hitter in the CH-UH Little League “World Series” of 196? 7. You wouldn’t believe it: played lead guitar in the infamous 60s garage band The Critic’s Choice
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2. Guilty Pleasure: Sunday morning lox and bagels with the NY Times while switching back and forth between WCLV, WKSU and WCPN.
BOARD SPOTLIGHT
T. CLIFFORD (CLIFF) DEVENY, MD is the President and CEO of the nationally renowned Summa Health in Akron, Ohio. He is a board certified obstetrician/ gynecologist and grew up in the Akron area. Summa Health encompasses a network of hospitals, a multi-specialty physician organization, and the Summa Health Foundation. Prior to assuming his leadership role at Summa in 2017, Dr. Deveny was Senior Vice President at Catholic Health Initiatives in Colorado, where he led a population health initiative, establishing 12 regional clinically integrated networks.
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Earlier in his career, Dr. Deveny spent more than 20 years at Summa Health in a variety of clinical and senior leadership roles, including President of Summa Physicians Inc. and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He earned his medical degree from the University of Toledo Medical Center and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Denison University. A graduate of Akron’s Firestone High School, Dr. Deveny has deep roots in the city. He has served on the board of Friends of the Summit (91.3 FM), the Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Area YMCA, and the United Way Addiction Leadership Council, as well as Apollo’s Fire.
Apollo’s Fire is grateful to its volunteer Board of Directors for their dedicated leadership. We are proud to initiate the Board Spotlight series in honor of these individuals who give tirelessly of their time and treasure to Apollo’s Fire. THANK YOU!
ANN FAIRHURST is retired from the Cleveland Foundation after serving for almost a decade as the Lake-Geauga Officer. She has also served as Director of Foundation Relations for Lake Erie College and VP of Advancement for the Music Settlement. She received her MFA in Performance & Choreography from the University of Michigan School of Music. Upon graduation, she joined the faculty of the University of Toledo Department of Theatre. During that time, she was also an Ohio Arts Council Artist in Education, and Director/Producer of Theater in the Schools for the Toledo Public Schools system. She lives in Lake County, outside of Cleveland.
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Apollo’s Fire thanks
The Deveny Family &
for bringing
CHRISTMAS
on Sugarloaf Mountain to homes across the isles this holiday season!
CHRISTMAS on Sugarloaf Mountain An Irish-Appalachian Celebration Created & Directed by Jeannette Sorrell Amanda Powell, soprano | Ross Hauck, tenor Jeffrey Strauss & Aaron Keeney, baritones Brian Kay, plucked instruments & vocals Brian Bigley, Uillean pipes, Irish flute, dancer with Michael Temesi, treble
Jeannette Sorrell, conductor & harpsichord Apollo’s Singers & Apollo’s Musettes
Recorded December 2017 & 2018 at The Cleveland Museum of Art
These concerts are made possible by
The Deveny Family &
Prologue: Christmas Eve at the Crossroads Christmas Eve Reel – trad. Irish Old Christmas Eve – trad. Appalachian, arr. J. Sorrell
I. Celtic Memories: Christmas in Old Ireland The Truth Sent from Above trad. British Isles, lyrics & arrangement by J. Sorrell Ross Hauck & Amanda Powell, vocals
Sheep under the snow/Apples in Winter/Little Christmas Reel trad. Irish, arr. R. Schiffer & S.P. Gilmore Susanna Perry Gilmore, fiddle
Blow, Northern Wind – Medieval English Lyric, arr. B. Kay Brian Kay, lute & vocals Don Oiche úd i mBeithil (That Night in Bethlehem) Brian Bigley, Uillean pipes
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oiche úd i mBeithil) – trad. Gaelic, arr. J. Sorrell Jeffrey Strauss, baritone
Nowell Sing We, Both All and Some – Medieval English, arr. J. Sorrell Molly Netter, soprano & Jeffrey Strauss, baritone
Nowell, Tidings Trew – Medieval British & Irish, arr. J. Sorrell
12 s CHRISTMAS on Sugarloaf Mountain
Amanda Powell (narrator) | Jeffrey Strauss (Angel Gabriel) | Ellie Edwards (Young Mary)
II. Caroling Across the Waters Innesheer/Ships in Full Sail/New Christmas Reel trad. Irish, arr. K. Stewart Kathie Stewart, flute – with Luke Conklin, Brian Bigley & Co.
O Come Emmanuel 12th c. carol, arr. J. Sorrell
Somerset Wassail/Kentucky Wassail – trad. Celtic/Appalachian, arr. J. Sorrell Ross Hauck, tenor & Aaron Keeney, baritone
– Intermission –
III. Wanderers Under the Sky Joseph & Mary – trad. British carol I Wonder as I Wander – trad. Appalachian (J. J. Niles), arr. J. Sorrell Ross Hauck & Amanda Powell, vocals
Frost & Snow/28th of January/Over the Isles to America trad. Celtic & Appalachian, arr. J. Sorrell, T.Bergmann Jeannette Sorrell, harpsichord & Tina Bergmann, hammered dulcimer
IV. Christmas Morning in Appalachia Bright Morning Stars – Southern folk hymn Tina Bergmann, Amanda Powell, Ross Hauck, vocals Star in the East | The Shepherd’s Star – The Southern Harmony, 1835 Jesus Born in Beth’ny – trad. Appalachian, arr. J. Sorrell Michael Temesi, treble – with Apollo’s Musettes
Christ Child’s Lullaby (Talladh Chriosta) trad. Scottish & Appalachian, arr. J. Sorrell Amanda Powell, soprano
V. Christmas Barn Dance Hop High Ladies/June Apple Reel – trad. Appalachian The Parting Glass – trad. Scottish/Irish, arr. J. Sorrell, R. Hauck Cold Frosty Morning/Old Christmas/Breakin’ Up Christmas trad. Old Time, arr. R. Schiffer, J. Sorrell, T. Bergmann
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Ian Crane, bagpipes & Brian Bigley, dancer
Texts & Translations The Truth from Above
Verse 3: traditional 17th c. English lyrics Lyrics of other verses by J. Sorrell My friends, let us listen silently tonight. In Bethlehem shines a holy light. The moon and stars sing a song of old. So hush, hear the greatest tale ever told.
This is the truth sent from above – The truth of God, the God of love. So don’t turn me from your door, But hearken all, both rich and poor.
For God looked down upon the suff’ring of man, The greed and the wars, the trickery and sham, The people enslaved to vanity and riches, So God did send his only son to teach us.
Now let us sing a song of Love, For God sent us truth, it comes from above. As Christ said, the truth shall set you free, So let us live in peace and harmony.
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Blow, Northern Wind
Middle English Lyric, 15th c. (Oxford Book of English Verse)
Modernization
Burthen: Blou northerne wynd! Send thou me my suetyng! Blou northerne wynd, blou!
Refrain: Blow, northern wind, Send thou me my sweetheart, Blow, northern wind, blow!
Ichot a burde in boure bryht That fully semly is on syht Menskful mayden of myth, Feir ant fre to fonde.
I know of a bird in bower bright That is beautiful upon sight. Noble maiden of might, Fair and honest I find her.
In al this wurliche won A burde of blod ant of bon Never yete y nuste non Lussomore in londe.
In all this worthy world, A bird of blood and of bone Never yet I know another Lovelier on land (earth).
Blou, northerne wynd…!
Blow, northern wind…!
Hire lure lumes liht Ase a launterne a-nyht Hire bleo blykyeth so bryht So feyhr heo is ant fyn.
Her face illumined and alight As a lantern in the night. Her color shines so bright, So fair she is and fine.
A swetly swire heo hath to holde, With arms, shuldre ase mon wolde, Ant fingers feyre to folde, God wolde hue were myn!
A sweetly neck she hath to hold, With arms and shoulders as man would, And fingers fair for to fold, God, would she were mine!
Blou, northerne wynd…!
Blow, northern wind…!
Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain That Night in Bethlehem
Lyrics adapted by J. Sorrell from Don Oiche úd i mBeithil (trad. Gaelic) I sing a song of Bethlehem, A song of a holy night. In the dark and cold of Bethlehem Is born the Bringer of Light. Upon the cold, bare mountain The shepherds raise their eyes, As brightness cleaves the heavens And angel songs fill the skies.
We raise to God on high. And unto men of good will On earth be peace and joy. Alleluia! The moon and stars do sing. We join their song and sing Nowell To honor the newborn king.
Alleluia! The angels sing above, For God has sent a teacher To teach mankind to love. Our hymns of praise and glory
Nowell Sing We, Both All and Some
Medieval English text, Bodleian Library, Selden MS, c. 1450 Burthen (Refrain): Nowell sing we, both all and some, Now Rex pacificus is y-come.
the king of peace (Christ)
De fructu ventris of Mary bright; Both God and man in her alight, Out of disease he did us dight, Both all and some. Nowell sing we…
fruit of Mary’s womb
Puer natus to us was sent To bliss us bought fro bale us blent; And else to woe we had y-went, Both all and some. Nowell sing we…
the child born hid us from evil torment
Lux fulgebit with love and light, In Mary mild his pennon pight, In her took kind with manly might, Both all and some. Nowell sing we…
The light will shine banner is raised
Gloria tibi, ay, and bliss God unto his grace he us wysse The rent of heaven that we not miss, Both all and some. Nowell sing we…
Thine is the glory always guides riches
deliver
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Texts & Translations (continued)
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Nowell, Tydings Trew Middle English
Modernization
Nowell, Nowell, This is the salutacion off the aungell Gabriell. Tydynges trew ther be cum new, Sent frome the Trinite, Be Gabriel to Nazaret, cite of Galile; A clene mayden a pure virgin throw hyre humilite Conceyvid the secund person in divinite. Nowell, nowell, This is the salutacion off the aungell Gabriell.
Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell, This is the salutation of Angel Gabriel. Tidings true, there be come new, Sent from the Trinity By Gabriel from Nazareth, city of Galilee: A clean maiden, a pure virgin, By her humility Hath conceived the Person Second in Deity. Nowell, nowell, This is the salutation of Angel Gabriel.
Whan he fyrst presentid was before hyr fayer visag, In the most demurer and goodly wys he ded to hyr omag, And seid, Lady frome heven so hy, that lordes herytag, The wich off the borne wold be, I am sent on messag. Nowell, nowell…
When he first presented was Before her fair visage, In most demure and goodly wise He did to her homage, And said, “Lady, from heaven so high, That Lord’s heritage, For which of thee born will be, I am sent on message.” Nowell, nowell…
Hayle, virgyne celestial, the mekest that ever was; Hayle, temple of deite and myrrour off all grace; Hayle, virgyne puer, I the ensure within full lyty[l] space, Thou shalt receyve and hym conceive that shal bryng gret solace. Nowell, nowell…
“Hail, virgin celestial, The meekest that ever was! Hail, temple of Deity! And mirror of all grace! Hail, virgin pure! I thee ensure, With full little space Thou shalt conceive and Him receive That shall bring great solace.” Nowell, nowell…
Sodenly she, abashid truly, but not al thyng dysmaid, With mynd dyscret and mek spyryt to the aungell she said: By what maner shuld I chyld bere, the wich ever a maid Have lyvid chast, al my lyf past, and never mane asaid? Nowell, nowell…
Suddenly she, abashed truly but not all things dismayed, With mind discreet and meek spirit to the angel she said: “By what manner should I child bear, the which e’er a maid Have lived chaste all my life past, and never man assayed?” Nowell, nowell…
Than ageyne to hire certeyn answered the aungell, O lady dere, be off good chere, and dred the never a dell,
Then again to her certain answered the angel: “O lady dear, be of good cheer, and dread thee never a del;
Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain Thou shalt conceyve in thi body, mayden, very God hym self, In whos byrth heven and erth shal joy, callid Emanuell. Nowell, nowell…
Thou shalt conceive in thy body, maiden, very God Himself, In whose birth heaven and earth shall joy, called Emmanuel.” Nowell, nowell…
Than ageyne to the aungell she answered womanly, What ever my lord commaund me do, I wyll obey mekely, Ecce sum humilima ancilla Domini, Secundum verbum tuum, she said, fiat mihi.
Then bespake the virgin again, And answered womanly: “Whatever my Lord command me do, I will obey meekly. Ecce sum humilima ancilla Domini: Secumdum verbum Tuum fiat michi.”* *Here I am, the most humble servant of God. As you have spoken, so be it.
Somerset Wassail
Traditional British Isles Wassail and wassail, all over the town! The cup it is white, and the ale it is brown. The cup it is made of the good ashen tree, And so is the malt of the best barley. Refrain: For it’s your wassail and it’s our wassail, And it’s joy be to you, and a jolly wassail! O Master and Missus, are you all within? Pray open the door and let us come in! O Master and Missus, a-sitting by the fire, Pray think on us poor trav’lers, a-trav’ling in the mire. For it’s your wassail…
There was an old man and he had an old cow, And how for to keep her, he did not know. He built up a barn for to keep his cow warm, And a drop or two of cider will do us no harm! For it’s your wassail… The girt dog of Lamport, he burnt his long tail And this is the night we go singing Wassail. Oh Master and Missus, now we must be gone. God bless all in the house till we do come again. No harm, boys, harm! No harm, boys, harm! And a drop or two of cider will do us no harm! For it’s your wassail… [Next year in America…!]
Traditional Appalachian Wassail, wassail, all over the town! Our cup is white and our ale is brown. The cup is made of the old oak tree, And the ale is made in Kentucky. So it’s joy be to you, and a jolly wassail!
There was an old maid and she lived in a house, And she had for a pet a tiny wee mouse, Oh, the house had a stove and the house was warm, And a little bit of liquor won’t do no harm! So it’s joy be to you, and a jolly wassail!
Oh, good man and good wife, are you within? Pray lift the latch and let us come in. We see you a-sitting at the boot o’ the fire, Not a-thinkin’ of us in the mud and the mire. So it’s joy be to you, and a jolly wassail!
Oh, a man in York drank his sack from a pail, But all we ask is a wee wassail. Oh, husband and wife, alack, we part, God bless this house from the bottom of our heart! So it’s joy be to you, and a jolly wassail!
CHRISTMAS on Sugarloaf Mountain s 17
Kentucky Wassail
Texts & Translations (continued) Joseph and Mary
Traditional British Isles, lyrics adapted by J. Sorrell When Joseph and Mary to Bethl’em did come, The inns they were filled, both all and some. And Joseph entreated them, ev’ry one. They did wander and seek, but rooms there were none. They did wander but found the doors closed, ev’ry one. “Wander elsewhere!” ‘twas said, “For rooms we have none.”
I Wonder as I Wander
Traditional Appalachian, collected and adapted by J. J. Niles I wonder as I wander out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for us to die For poor, ord’n’ry people like you and like I. I wonder as I wander out under the sky.
If Jesus and wanted for any wee thing, A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing, Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing, He surely could have it, ‘cause he was the King.
When Mary birthed Jesus, ‘twas in a cow’s stall, Wish wise men and farmers and shepherds and all. But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall, And the promise of ages it then did recall.
Bright Morning Stars
Traditional Appalachian Hymn
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Bright morning stars are rising, Bright morning stars are rising, Day is a-breakin’ in my soul. And where are our dear fathers? Oh, where are our dear fathers? They are down in the valley a-prayin’. Day is a-breakin’ in my soul. And where are our dear mothers? Oh, where are our dear mothers?
Some have gone up to heaven, shoutin’ – Day is a-breakin’ in my soul. And how can I be lonely When you are ever near me? Such wondrous love surrounds me, Day is a-breakin’ in my soul. Bright morning stars are rising…
Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain Star in the East/The Shepherd’s Star
Shape-Note Hymn, The Southern Harmony, 1835 Children:
Adults:
[Solfége]
Hail, blessed morn! See the great mediator… Refrain.
Hail, blessed morn! See the great mediator Down from the regions of glory descend! Shepherds, go worship the Babe in the manger. Lo, for a guard the bright angels attend. Refrain: Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid. Star of the East, the horizon adorning, Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.
Cold on his cradle, the dew-drops are shining; Low lies his bed with the beasts of the stall. Angels adore him, in slumbers reclining. Wise men and shepherds before him do fall. Refrain.
Star of the morning, thy brightness declining, Shortly must fade when the sun doth arise. Beaming refulgent, his glory eternal Shines on the children of love in the skies. Refrain.
Jesus Born in Beth’ny Traditional Appalachian
Jesus born in Beth’ny, Jesus born in Beth’ny Jesus born in Beth’ny and in a manger lay. In a manger lay, in a manger lay. Jesus born in Beth’ny and in a manger lay.
Traditional Irish, translated from the Gaelic by Seamus Ennis. My love, my pride, my treasure, oh, My wonder new and pleasure, oh! My son, my beauty ever you, Who am I to bear you here?
And though you are the King of all, They sent you to a manger stall, When at your feet they all should fall And glorify my child, the King.
The cause of talk and tale am I, The cause of greatest fame am I, The cause of proudest care on high, To have for mine the King of all!
My love, my pride, my treasure, oh…!
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The Christ Child’s Lullaby (Taladh Chriosta)
Texts & Translations (continued) Hop High Ladies/June Apple Traditional Appalachian
Wish I was a June Apple hangin’ on a tree. Ev’ry time my sweetheart passed She’d take a bite of me.
Charlie, he’s a nice young man Charlie, he’s a dandy! Charlie, he’s a nice young man Feeds the girls on candy.
The Parting Glass Traditional Irish
Oh, all the money that e’er I spent I spent it in good company. And all the harm that e’er I’ve done, Alas, it was to none but me. And all I’ve done for want of wit To memory now I can’t recall. So fill to me the parting glass, Good night and joy be with you all!
Oh, all the comrades that e’er I’ve had Are sorry for my going away. And all the sweethearts that e’er I’ve had Would wish me one more day to stay. But since it falls unto my lot That I should rise and you should not. I’ll gently rise and I’ll softly call Good night and joy be with you all!
Breakin’ Up Christmas
Traditional Appalachian Breakdown Hooray Jake, Hooray John, Breakin’ up Christmas all day long.
Santa Claus come, done and gone, Breakin’ up Christmas right along.
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Way back yonder a long time ago, The old folks danced at the do-si-do.
Please join us for the post-concert
Virtual LOBBY
Meet Brian Kay, Brian Bigley, and Susanna Gilmore in our new Q&A ZOOM!
Sunday 12/20 at 7:30pm Sit down with a glass of wine for 30 minutes and toast the musicians on their performance! If you did not yet receive the link from the AF Box Office, please call 216.320.0012 or email info@apollosfire.org.
The Musicians’ Fund
Apollo’s Fire established the Musicians’ Fund in March 2020 to support our musicians who are facing severe loss of income during the coronavirus pandemic. Through this fund, AF has paid its musicians over $170,000 in partial fees for canceled concerts during the pandemic and in modest “COVID-19 Relief Grants” to those of our core musicians who were most in need. AF is continuing to support our musicians this season. The larger concert programs that had been planned before the pandemic are now replaced with smaller chamber programs that can be performed with physical distancing on stage. Some of the money from the Musicians’ Fund will be steered to regular AF musicians who are not included in the chamber programs but who would have performed in the larger programs that were originally planned. AF will also provide another round of COVID Relief Grants to our core musicians who are most in need. Thank you to all of you who have donated to this program. You are truly making a difference in the lives of AF’s most precious resource.... its Musicians.
Create a Lasting Legacy Keep the Fire Burning!
We are grateful for your vision that extends beyond the present and shows how you value the arts. Please remember Apollo’s Fire in your wills, trusts, and life insurance policies. If you have included Apollo’s Fire in your estate planning, we hope you’ll consider letting us know. We thank you and would like to include you in our Legacy Circle.
Join AF’s Legacy Circle Supporters, Fred & Mary Behm, Chuck Bittenbender, Doug & Barbara Bletcher, Art Brooks, Ann Fairhurst & Mark Cipra, Thomas J. Froehlich, Elizabeth & Byron Hays, Jane N. Richmond, Saundra Stemen, David & Charlotte Wildermuth, and others who are ensuring the future of Apollo’s Fire by including us in their wills. Past bequests from such esteemed benefactors as Earl Russell, Dr. Shattuck Hartwell, Sheldon & Marilyn MacLeod, Ruth Turvy Bowman, Ruth Toth, and Donald W. Morrison have made AF’s artistic successes possible.
1 The Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra
Legacy Fund
(managed by The Cleveland Foundation) This fund provides ongoing financial support to Apollo’s Fire, ensuring its sustainability into the future. The fund is held and managed by The Cleveland Foundation, which has a century of experience investing gifts for prudent growth. Gifts to the fund will provide Apollo’s Fire with revenue now and into the future, creating a measure of security that allows us to focus on our mission. The fund offers donors a wide variety of giving options. To discuss how you can join the Legacy Circle supporters by including Apollo’s Fire in your estate planning, please contact Howard Bender, Executive Director, at 216.320.0012 x 2.
Appalachian Roots by Jeannette Sorrell Nestled between the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the eastern Appalachians, just at the northern tip of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, lies beautiful Sugarloaf Mountain. Nearby, Amanda Powell and I spent some formative years of our lives.
Greenway Southern Baptist Church, Virginia
This area became my home when I was 14. I was still struggling to understand the Southern accents when unexpectedly, I was offered my first job – playing the piano for the Greenway Southern Baptist Church. A job! I was welcomed with open arms by this small Revivalist congregation, which represented a completely different culture than the one I knew. I was entranced by the beautiful, stark harmonies of the Southern hymns and by the passionate singing of the congregation – the sense of communal joy.
I also keenly remember the lovely Appalachian ballad singer, Madeline MacNeil, who would travel around to the small towns of the valley, playing her lap dulcimer and singing these ancient ballads – most of which had come over from the British Isles, but she sang them in an Appalachian way. I left Virginia at the age of 17 and never looked back – until 2008, when a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts sent me to the libraries for two years of research in early American traditional music – and, inevitably, a journey back to my teenage years in the Valley. This resulted in Apollo’s Fire’s 2010 album, “Come to the River: An Early American Gathering” and our 2015 album, “Sugarloaf Mountain.” The unexpected popularity of these two programs – both of which as CD albums have hit the Top 10 on the BILLBOARD Classical Chart – led me to ponder the way this soulful music speaks to us all, and to our shared roots as immigrants in America. In all of the tour performances of these programs on both sides of the Atlantic, it has been clear that this music fosters the same sense of communal joy that I encountered in the little church in Virginia. And isn’t communal joy the essence of Christmas? Appalachian music is the voice of the poor and the downtrodden – both the impoverished Irish immigrants and the African slaves on the plantations. And so, if the people of the mountains are going to raise their voices in song, what better time to do it than at Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of history’s greatest advocate for the poor? It seemed that an Appalachian Christmas program was needed.
Notes on the Program
THE PEOPLE OF THE MOUNTAINS WELCOME CHRISTMAS by Jeannette Sorrell I wonder as I wander out under the sky How Jesus our Savior did come for to die. For poor, ordin’ry people like you and like I.
Appalachian music is the voice of “the poor, ordin’ry people” – the Irish and Scottish immigrants who left their lives of poverty and starvation in the British Isles, bravely to cross the wide Atlantic and build new lives in the wilderness of America. They did not leave home out of a sense of adventure. They left their beloved isles of Scotland and Ireland due to endless years of unemployment, hunger and civil strife. The Great Famine that struck Ireland in the 1840’s was the worst famine in Europe in the 19th century. And though called the “Potato Famine,” it was not simply a natural disaster. It was primarily a man-made disaster that had been developing for decades, if not centuries. Ever since the British had conquered Ireland in 1536, the Irish peasants and farmers had been forced to pay rent to their British landowners. By the 1800’s, the Irish could not afford to purchase the foods their farms produced. Instead, their grain and meat crops were exported to the wealthy ruling classes in Britain, while the people subsisted increasingly on potatoes – because that was the only thing they could afford.
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Irish immigrants arriving in the United States
Under the terms of the harsh 1834 British Poor Law, enacted in 1838 in Ireland, the “able-bodied” poor and homeless were sent to workhouses
Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain rather than being given famine relief. British assistance was mostly limited to loans. When a blight killed the potato crops in the 1840’s, the Irish people were starving and could not pay their rent. Hundreds of thousands of them were evicted and became homeless. About one million people died. The British government’s efforts towards famine relief in Ireland were grudging and ineffective. Many British intellectuals believed that the crisis was a predictable and not-unwelcome corrective to the high birth rates and perceived flaws, in their opinion, in the Irish national character. All of this intensified the Irish people’s resentment of British rule. It is believed that nearly 2 million people emigrated from Ireland in desperation during this time. Many of these became the Appalachian immigrants of America. And they brought their music with them. This is why Appalachian music, including the carols of Christmas, so often emphasizes the plight of the poor. We see it not only in the words of the famous carol, I Wonder as I Wander, quoted above. We see it also in such carols as The Truth from Above, where the singer (Amanda Powell in our performance) begs the listener, “Don’t turn me from your door, but hearken all, both rich and poor.” The message that Jesus came to poor people – a humble couple in an oppressed nation, forced to travel as migrants – runs strong through the Irish and Appalachian carols. Our album follows the westward journey of these migrants, starting out in their homeland in Ireland and Scotland, where their stories began and their music is rooted.
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Our party begins with the Christmas Eve Reel – one of the great party reels of Ireland, full of soaring energy. Then we jump across the pond and explode with whistle and banjo into Old Christmas Eve, an earthy Appalachian tune. (For an explanation of the “old” in the title,” see the notes on Section VI.)
I. CELTIC MEMORIES: Christmas in Old Ireland The bagpipes call the people to gather, as the colors of the medieval harp and shawm paint a picture of Scotland and Ireland in the early Renaissance on Christmas Eve. The haunting carol The Truth from Above is
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PROLOGUE: Christmas Eve At The Crossroads
Notes on the Program (continued) traditional along the English and Welsh shores of the Irish Sea, and was collected by the great ethnomusicologist Cecil Sharp in the late 19th century. It is also found in Appalachian sources. I have arranged it for soloists, instruments, and choir, to evoke the sense of communal gathering at the Cathedral. A set of Celtic fiddle tunes gently draws us out of the Cathedral, beginning with the mournful air Sheep Under the Snow, which is traditional on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. (The Manx Cecil Sharp and Northern Irish shepherds have been troubled for centuries by their sheep dying buried in snowdrifts, and this still occurs today.) Lutenist Brian Kay’s performance of the Middle English lyric known as Blow, Northern Wind gives us the flavor of the troubadours who sang by the fireside in winter. This is a 15th-c. text, set by Brian set to a melody from a surviving renaissance Estampie (dance tune).
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The traditional Gaelic carol Don Oiche úd I mBeithil (That Night in Bethlehem) is one of the most famous ancient songs on this album. We offer it first as a meditation on the Uillean pipes (the traditional pipes of Ireland), then as a carol sung by baritone and choir. There is no definitive translation of the original Gaelic text, so I created a fairly free adaptation that evokes the blend of pagan and Christian imagery that lived alongside one another for many centuries in Ireland. The lively medieval carol Nowell Nowell, Tidings Trew closes this set, with the colors of vielle and shawm evoking a festive Christmas Eve service in the Cathedral.
II. CAROLING ACROSS THE WATERS Our children’s choir, Apollo’s Musettes, take center stage as we move into the 18th and early 19th centuries for a traditional caroling party – a party that ends up crossing the Atlantic. The Irish medley of flute tunes, beginning with Innesheer, was arranged by our flautist Kathie Stewart to fit hand-in-glove with the British carol, I Saw Three Ships.
Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain From there it’s all downhill, as the men of the caroling party increasingly enjoy their “cup o’ cider.” Three traditional Wassails take us house-to-house through the streets of the British Isles and then across the pond to Kentucky, in my arrangement of the Yorkshire Carol, Somerset Wassail, and Kentucky Wassail. The Kentucky Wassail, which was collected by the American ethnomusicologist John Jacob Niles, probably started as a variant of the Somerset Wassail. After crossing the Atlantic, it took on the dance qualities of Southern Appalachia.
John Jacob Niles
III. WANDERERS UNDER THE SKY This set reflects on the wanderings of the migrants Joseph and Mary as they looked for an inn in Bethlehem – while also evoking the wanderings of the Celtic immigrants arriving in Appalachia. The melody that opened our Celtic Memories set in the carol The Truth from Above returns here as a brief reminiscence in the British carol Joseph and Mary. This leads into the beautiful Appalachian carol, I Wonder as I Wander – collected (and partly composed) by John Jacob Niles in the 1930’s. A harpsichord and hammered dulcimer meditation leads into the lively Scottish reel, Over the Isles to America.
A small meeting-house of the Revival Movement in the Appalachians is our setting for Christmas morning. Here, in the early 19th century, Southern hymns and shape-note hymns were born. This soulful music is meant primarily for untrained voices, not professional singers. We are fortunate to have a mix of both, including trained singers who grew up in the Appalachian tradition. With the Southern folk hymn Bright Morning Stars, an à cappella trio greets the new Christmas morning. Star in the East is a hymn from the shape-note tradition. Shape-note hymns are written in a modal idiom (rather than major or minor) and the style features many open fourths and fifths. Thus, the sound is almost medieval in its starkness and raw power. In traditional shape-note singing, the congregation stands in a square, with
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IV. CHRISTMAS MORNING IN APPALACHIA
Notes on the Program (continued) the leader in the middle. The singers begin by singing the hymn once through on the solfège syllables (this is called “singing the shapes”). Then they proceed to the texts of the verses.
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Shape-note notation was created in rural 19thcentury America in order Star in the East, Southern Harmony (1854) to facilitate sight-reading by singers not trained in standard musical notation. The different shapes of the note-heads (triangle, square, diamond, etc.) correspond to solfège syllables based on the centuries-old concept of the hexachord. The shape-note tradition uses only four syllables – sol, mi, fa and la. From 1800 to 1850, several different shape-note hymnals were published, of which the most prominent were The Kentucky Harmony in 1816, The Southern Harmony in 1835, and The Sacred Harp in 1844. The children’s wonder at the Messiah’s birth is expressed through their hypnotic Appalachian chant, Jesus Born in Beth’ny. This is followed by the traditional Gaelic and Appalachian carol, The Christ Child’s Lullaby (Talladh Chriosta), evoking the quiet wonder of the mother Mary as she rocks her newborn Savior.
The Sacred Harp, 1844
V. CHRISTMAS BARN DANCE Barns are made for dancing, and in Appalachia the 12 days between “New Christmas” (December 25) and “Old Christmas” (Epiphany, January 6) are filled with barn dances, singing, and stories. Our Barn Dance features the typical instrumental ensemble of early America – the Old-Time band, consisting of a fiddle and a banjo to start with, and maybe adding a guitar and a singer if available, and a hammered dulcimer if one is lucky. Of
Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain course, the Scottish and Scotch-Irish immigrants brought their bagpipes with them, so a bagpipe shows up at our Barn Dance. Hop High Ladies is the Appalachian/Old-Time variant of the well-known Scottish tune, Miss McLeod’s Reel. The melody changed slightly when it tumbled up in America. We honor its Scottish roots by performing it with Scottish small pipes. January 6th is known in much of Appalachia as “Old Christmas.” This harks back to 1752, when England and Scotland switched over from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, causing 11 days to be dropped to make up for the calendar discrepancy. Some traditional communities, such as the Amish, resisted the change. They stuck with January 6th as the celebration of the Nativity – using the name “Old Christmas.” In Ireland the date is often called “Little Christmas.” In rural Appalachia, the 12-day festival of dances and house parties linking New Christmas and Old Christmas is known as Breaking Up Christmas. This tradition still flourishes in parts of North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, especially among the Scotch-Irish (Ulster Scots) communities in the mountains. The Old-Time fiddle tune with lyrics known as Breakin’ Up Christmas may have been composed by Preston ‘Pet’ McKinney, a fiddler and Civil War veteran from Lambsburg, VA.
u This program reflects the communal journey of our grandparents and their grandparents, as they made the crossing to the New World and built their new mountain homeland, one cabin at a time. We hope that our concert rings with their inextinguishable spirit – reminding us that immigration is a beautiful part of our shared heritage in America. © Jeannette Sorrell 2020, Cleveland, OH
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“Through this country here, they’d go from house to house almost – have a dance at one house, then go off to the next one the following night and all such as that. About a two-week period, usually winding up about New Year. They’d play a tune called Breakin’ Up Christmas, that was the last dance they’d have on Christmas.” – Lawrence Bolt, fiddler (b. 1894, Galax, Virginia)
What the Critics are Saying RAVE REVIEWS for the first two videos in AF’s new Worldwide Watch-at-Home Series
“Apollo’s Fire saddles up the current elephants in the room and goes for an unforgettable ride.” – SEEN & HEARD INTERNATIONAL (UK)
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In the words of Civil War heroine Harriet Tubman, “Every dream begins with a dreamer.” The new RESILIENCE program from Jeannette Sorrell weaves dreams, struggles, music, and poetry into a poignant and ultimately uplifting journey. “Apollo’s Fire is a cultural treasure, particularly in its willingness to grapple with the world’s problems and offer comfort and catharsis. They proved once again that they are the embodiment of the program’s title: resilience.” – Seen & Heard International (UK) “The season opener by Apollo’s Fire is about as timely as can be... drawing poignant parallels to today. No one else... gives Dowland and Purcell such suave, dramatic treatment. Soprano Ashlee Foreman delivers a tour de force in ‘Death Comes to My House’ and the whole group carries ‘Wade
Resilience | Concert Video in the Water’ to captivating heights. The takeaway is a message of hope, a celebration of humanity’s ability to endure.” – Cleveland.com “Brilliant performances that illuminated two troubled periods in history... The emotional content of the music rang true. Sensitive videography and close-up camera work gave the viewer access to more than a front row seat.” – ClevelandClassical.com
WHAT THE AUDIENCE IS SAYING “Wow. Just wow. We watched ‘Resilience’ last night and, for the first time, current events finally took their place in a historical context that makes sense. Between the well chosen and presented readings and the glorious music, a space opened up in my mind to let the spirit in. I was glad that I was in my own living room because I cried and cried — in a good, cathartic way.” – Nancy in Cincinnati, OH “That was the most moving Apollo’s Fire concert I have seen and I’ve gone to many over the years. And when they did the last song, ‘We Shall Overcome’, I burst into tears. The entire program was beautiful.” – Barbara in Willoughby, OH “Deeply moving! Thank you for this gift of grace, beauty, and hope. Indeed, we shall overcome, someday.” – Sandy in Akron, OH
The Resilience Concert Video is now available at apollosfire.org/worldwide.
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“What a magnificent gift this concert is! Acknowledging the losses, the tragedies of this time, and yet rekindling hope in a dark time. Such beauty from so many perspectives, and such musicianship!” – John in Albany, NY
What the Critics are Saying (continued)
“Apollo’s Fire finds sizzling Allure in the early baroque… the concert unfolds with plenty of magic... a lone violinist rises from his seat in the audience, casting a spellbinding atmosphere as the whole ensemble comes to life...”
– SEEN & HEARD INTERNATIONAL (UK)
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“The opening piece rather startlingly allies a catchy, danceable melody with grim lyrics about the necessity of enjoying life because of the looming inevitability of death, something on everyone’s mind as the Covid-19 pandemic spirals to new heights. Leave it to Sorrell to find a piece of music within the stylistic frame of a historical program that also happens to directly address current events.” – Seen & Heard International (UK) “Stunning... Forsythe, Powell and Crider deliver the kind of jaw-dropping performances that might well have landed them jobs at the 17th-century Ducal court. A typically effervescent Apollo’s Fire finale…” – ClevelandClassical.com
Allure | Concert Video WHAT THE AUDIENCE IS SAYING “ALLURE is magnificent. The program is total joy, as is Professor Kelly’s pre-concert talk. Both are true gems, what an achievement.” – Ann in Cleveland “I have played your performance over and again, such is my delight and enjoyment of your interpretation and the extraordinary ability of all the players... gorgeously elegant. I migliori auguri e felicità, – William in Italy “The quality of the audio and the video are unequaled in our other watching. Of course, the quality of the playing is just as wonderful. We are so grateful to be able to see and hear the entire season this year.” – Susan in North Carolina “One of the silver linings to the pandemic is the possibility of enjoying AF remotely, and it has been wonderful. The concerts have been exceptional the music, the production quality, and the preconcert lectures.” – Jonathan in Chicago
“I’d like to say thank you to Jeannette Sorrell and her ensemble. Listening to her music raises my spirits and makes me feel happy :-) in these dullen times.” – Albert in Germany “We LOVE the online experience. Love the fact that we don’t have to drive to a venue, love that we can take breaks and view the concert many times. In fact, we love it so much we hope you will continue to offer a video option.” – Pamela in Cleveland
The Allure Concert Video is now available at apollosfire.org/worldwide.
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“Absolutely gorgeous! Loved it. Really miss being there in person, but the videos are such high quality, we almost feel we were there.” – Mary & Fred in Oberlin
Soloist Profiles AMANDA POWELL, soprano, has been praised as “the star of the evening” (SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL, UK) and “charismatic and theatrically arresting” (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE). A highly versatile musician, she is at home in repertoire from Monteverdi to Mozart to Ravel, and has toured internationally as soloist in baroque opera, oratorio, and crossover folk programs. Her tour performances with GRAMMY®-winning baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire (Jeannette Sorrell) include such venues as the National Concert Hall of Ireland in Dublin, the Irish National Opera House, the Aldeburgh Festival (UK), the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the National Gallery in Washington, and Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, among others. Her 2019 debut as Messiah soloist with the Calgary Symphony won kudos as “the soloist of the night... singing to perfection”.
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As a recording artist, Ms. Powell has been featured on several Apollo’s Fire albums including Sugarloaf Mountain, Sephardic Journey, and Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain, all of which received rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and debuted in the top ten on the BILLBOARD Classical Chart. Her 2015 solo debut album, Beyond Boundaries, is an intimate program of folk, jazz, and global music. She is a fluent improvisor and has collaborated with such artists as Bobby McFerrin and Sheila Jordan. ROSS HAUCK, tenor, grew up in Ohio, but currently lives in Seattle with his wife and four children. He specializes in early music, sacred oratorio, and premieres of new works. A regular with Apollo’s Fire, Mr. Hauck has been heard as a soloist in Messiah, as Tamino in The Magic Flute, and as Johnny in the Come to the River tour, as well as being featured in the 2012 and 2013 Irish Countryside Concerts and Sugarloaf Mountain. He has sung with the symphonies of Seattle, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, Baltimore, Portland, Grand Rapids, Kansas City, and the National Symphony. An alumnus of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, he undertook further training at the Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Aspen Festivals and at the Wolf Trap Opera Company. He can be heard on the AVIE label on the Apollo’s Fire recording of Messiah and on the Naxos label in the world premiere of the song cycle Vedem by Lori Laitman. He is also a cellist and serves as a professor of voice on the faculty of Seattle University. He frequently programs sacred concerts for churches and Christian universities, and leads an arts ministry at his church in the Northwest.
Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain JEFFREY STRAUSS, baritone, an “authoritative artist” (CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER) whose performances have been praised as “captivating” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE) and “serenely beautiful” (NEW YORK TIMES), has appeared with period-instrument ensembles including The Consort of Musicke with Emma Kirkby, the Taverner Consort under Andrew Parrott, Tafelmusik, the Handel & Haydn Society (Boston), the Newberry Consort (Chicago), Seattle Baroque, and Tempesta di Mare (Philadelphia). This season marks his 25th with Apollo’s Fire. He made his professional debut at 17 with the Buffalo Philharmonic and studied voice in Paris with Gérard Souzay. An accomplished stage actor, favorite projects have included the title role in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Jesus and Pilate in the Bach Passions, Méphistophélès in Berlioz’ Damnation of Faust, and Apollo in Handel’s Apollo e Dafne. His 2014 portrayal of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof was hailed by the BUFFALO NEWS as “masterful.” His longstanding commitment to contemporary music includes numerous appearances with the Contemporary Chamber Players (Contempo) in Chicago and performances of Ned Rorem’s song cycle Aftermath, Lawrence Axelrod’s The Immanence of Angels and Ophélia, Paul Schoenfield’s Camp Songs, a jazz oratorio with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, and premieres of works by Bernstein, Babbitt, Shapey, and Cipullo. CD recordings with Apollo’s Fire include the Monteverdi 1610 Vespers; Handel’s Messiah; Sephardic Journey, which debuted in 2016 at #2 on the Billboard World Music chart; Bach’s St. John Passion; and Apollo’s Fire’s most recent CD release, Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain.
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AARON KEENEY, baritone, is a first year Resident Artist with Minnesota Opera in Minneapolis. PreCovid, he was scheduled to cover both the title role in Eugene Onegin and Dandini in La Cenerentola at Minnesota, as well as to sing Horace Derwent in Paul Moravec’s The Shining. Last season, he finished his master’s degree at Juilliard, where he covered Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, and he was scheduled to sing Schaunard in La Bohème in April. Favorite roles from previous seasons include Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Ping in Turandot, and both Count Almaviva and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro. On the concert stage, he has been a bass soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Handel’s Messiah, Hayden’s Lord Nelson Mass, and Mozart’s Requiem, and he was fortunate enough to join Apollo’s Fire for their Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain concert series in 2018.
Soloist Profiles MICHAEL TEMESI currently studies voice under Amanda Powell. Having performed as a treble in Sugarloaf Christmas, he is now a baritone and has has sung with the Case Western Early Music Singers and the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute. Outside of voice, Michael studies private piano, viol, and music theory. Michael is a freshman at Hawken Upper School, where he is currently founding his own historical music group. He is also a passionate angler and golfer.
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Also available on CD at apollosfire.org!
“This is an incredible offer of support. I’m floored. This means so very much. Even with concerts canceled, AF’s efforts continue to allow musicians to thrive as best they can. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. And now to go forth and ‘pay it forward’ to students and music lovers in my town!” – Carrie Krause, violin
Community Access Initiative Share the Music. Share the Love.
Over the past two years, the Community Access Initiative has served more than 7,000 youth and adults in Northeast Ohio – through Presto Seats, free student tickets, and outreach programming. • Free Family Concerts (returning in April 2021) • Baroque Bistros – casual concerts at trendy restaurants (returning Summer/Fall 2021) • NEW video Discovery Series for Grades K-2 (coming in early 2021!) • $12 Presto Seats* • Family Nights at AF (free tickets for families from selected public schools)** • Free Student Rush Tickets**
Apollo’s Fire thanks the Cleveland Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, and Peg’s Foundation for supporting the Community Access Initiative and helping AF lead the way in innovative arts outreach. Interested in bringing Apollo’s Fire’s education programming to your school? Contact Allison Richards, General Manager at 216.320.0012 x 5, or arichards@apollosfire.org *As long as social distancing directives are in place, $12 Presto Seats will be available only as “Watch-AtHome” tickets. A limited number will be made available for each online concert-video. Presto Seats go on sale beginning three weeks prior to each concert – ORDER EARLY! Tickets may only be purchased by calling the Box Office at 216.320.0012 x 1. Patrons are limited to one (1) Presto Seats link per event. All sales are final, and Presto Seats may not be exchanged. **A limited number of FREE Student Rush and FREE Family Night tickets & streaming links will be made available this year. Please email info@apollosfire.org for more information.
Jeannette Sorrell “Sorrell is an absolute dynamo onstage and a pleasure to see conduct…. a force to be reckoned with. She brought the energy and creativity that… have granted her celebrity status within the early music world... a thrilling experience.” –SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE GRAMMY®-winning conductor Jeannette Sorrell is recognized internationally as one of today’s most compelling interpreters of Baroque and Classical repertoire. She is credited by BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE for “forging a vibrant, life-affirming approach to early music.”
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The daughter of a European immigrant father and American mother, she grew up as a musician and dancer. She studied conducting under Leonard Bernstein, Robert Spano, and Roger Norrington at the Tanglewood and Aspen music festivals. As a harpsichordist, she studied with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam and won First Prize and the Audience Choice Award in the Spivey International Harpsichord Competition, competing against over 70 harpsichordists from Europe, Israel, the U.S., and the Soviet Union. Sorrell is the founder and artistic director of APOLLO’S FIRE, and has led the renowned period ensemble as conductor and harpsichord soloist in soldout concerts at London’s BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall, Madrid’s Royal Theatre (Teatro Real), London’s Wigmore Hall, the National Concert Hall of Ireland (Dublin), Grand Théâtre de l’Opéra in Bordeaux, the Aldeburgh Festival (UK), the Tanglewood and Ravinia festivals, Boston’s Early Music Festival, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery (Washington), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), among others. At home in Cleveland, she and Apollo’s Fire have built one of the largest audiences of any baroque orchestra in North America. In demand with symphony orchestras and period groups alike, Sorrell has repeatedly conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Utah Symphony, and New World Symphony, and has also led the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Opera St Louis with the St. Louis Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in San Francisco, the Florida Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic (Canada), the Royal Northern Sinfonia (UK), the North Carolina Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, among others. Upcoming
Artistic Director & Conductor debuts include the Detroit Symphony, the Montreal Symphony (Handel’s Messiah), and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (Bach’s St. John Passion). With over 5 million views of their YouTube videos, Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire have released 26 commercial CDs, of which 8 have been bestsellers on the BILLBOARD Classical Charts. She won a GRAMMY® in 2019 for her album Songs of Orpheus with Apollo’s Fire and tenor Karim Sulayman. Her recordings include the complete Brandenburg Concerti and harpsichord concerti of Bach (Billboard Classical Top 10 in 2012). She has also released four discs of Mozart. Other recordings include Bach’s St. John Passion, Handel’s Messiah, the Monteverdi Vespers (Billboard Classical Top 10) and five creative crossover projects, including; Sephardic Journey – Wanderings of the Spanish Jews (Billboard World Music #2, Classical #7) and Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain (Billboard Classical #3, and named “Festive Disc of the Year” by GRAMOPHONE). Sorrell is the subject of the 2019 documentary by Academy award-winning director Allan Miller, titled PLAYING WITH FIRE. She has also been featured on Living the Classical Life. She has attracted national awards for her creative programming and her “storytelling” approach to early music, which has attracted many new listeners through the use of contextual and dramatic elements. She holds an honorary doctorate from Case Western University, two special awards from the National Endowment for the Arts for her work on early American music, and an award from the American Musicological Society. Passionate about guiding the next generation of performers, Sorrell is the architect of Apollo’s Fire’s Young Artist Apprentice program, which has produced many of the nation’s leading young professional baroque players; and the new Artistic Leadership Fellows program.
–THE INDEPENDENT, London
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“Under the inspired leadership of Jeannette Sorrell, Apollo’s Fire has become one of the pre-eminent period-instrument ensembles, causing one to hear baroque material anew.”
The 29th Season
2020-
NEW! NO-RISK TICKET &
Your subscription or ticket allows you either to attend the concert in person, OR rece your home. More details can be found on our website. If a concert is cancelled d October 8-11
Resilience
Music for Troubled Times
London, 1665: A plague held the city in its grip, but haunting folk ballads and laments of Dowland and Purcell wafted from the windows of empty streets.... Generously sponsored by
November 5-8
Allure
The Three Amandas
Amanda Forsythe, soprano | Amanda Powell, soprano Amanda Crider, mezzo-soprano Long ago in the palace of Ferrara, three renowned ladies entertained princes with their astonishing musicianship.... Generously sponsored by An Anonymous Donor
December 12-13, 18, & 20-21
Delight
AF
O Jeannette Sorrell, conducting ARL | Amanda Powell, soprano G U S Susanna Gilmore, Alan Choo, Emi Tanabe OlivierN Brault,
AS O
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AIN
T A Fiddler’s NM oël OUN
Apollo’s Fire welcomes the holidays with virtuoso fiddle fireworks that explode from four corners... Generously sponsored by The Deveny Family &
TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE ON SALE Don’t miss your chance to get a seat this season if you decide you want
-2021 A Pilgrimage of Hope
& SUBSCRIPTION POLICY
eive a password to watch the exclusive concert-video 1 week later in the comfort of due to the pandemic, choose f rom 4 options: visit apollosfire.org for details. February 18-21
Elegance
The Harper’s Voice
Virtuoso Harpists of the British Isles Parker Ramsay, baroque harps & direction
The harp was the voice of the marginalized peoples of the British Isles – Irish, Welsh, and Scots. Their stories emerge through music of Purcell and Handel....
March 18-21
Triumph A Dramatic
Handel’s Israel in Egypt
Oratorio – Adaptation by Jeannette Sorrell
We welcome Passover and Easter with Handel’s gripping emotional journey – from the plagues of frogs, locusts, and hailstones to the triumph of the crossing of the Red Sea. Generously sponsored by Karen & Richard Spector
April 9-12 & 17-18
Celebration
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – rediscovered with projected images in some venues If you thought you knew Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, be prepared for surprises. Revolutionary acts of musical storytelling.... Generously sponsored by
E NOW! In person seats are selling out quickly! to attend in person. CALL 216.320.0012 or VISIT apollosfire.org
Apollo’s Fire “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 a GRAMMY®winning ensemble. The periodinstrument orchestra was founded by award-winning harpsichordist and conductor Jeannette Sorrell, and is dedicated to the baroque ideal that music should evoke the various Affekts or passions in the listeners. Apollo’s Fire is a collection of creative artists who share Sorrell’s passion for drama and rhetoric. Hailed as “one of the pre-eminent period-instrument ensembles” (THE INDEPENDENT, London), Apollo’s Fire has performed five European tours, with sold-out concerts at the BBC Proms in London (with live broadcast across Europe), the Aldeburgh Festival (UK), Madrid’s Royal Theatre, Bordeaux’s Grand Théàtre de l’Opéra, and major venues in Lisbon, Metz (France), and Bregenz (Austria); as well as concerts at the Irish National Concert Hall (Dublin), the Irish National Opera House (Wexford), the Birmingham International Series (UK), the Tuscan Landscapes Festival (Italy), and Belfast Castle with a live broadcast carried by the Associated Press of Europe.
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AF’s 2014 London concert was praised as “an evening of superlative music-making… the group combines European stylishness with American entrepreneurialism” (THE TELEGRAPH, UK). This concert was chosen by the TELEGRAPH as one of the “Best 5 Classical Concerts of 2014.” North American tour engagements have included sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall (2018), the Tanglewood Festival (2015 and 2017), the Ravinia Festival (2017 and 2018), the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y. (2013, 2014, and 2015), the Boston Early Music Festival series, and the Library of Congress, as well as concerts at the Aspen Music Festival, Caramoor Festival, and major venues in Toronto, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The ensemble has performed two major U.S. tours of the Monteverdi Vespers (2010 and 2014) and a 9-concert tour of the Brandenburg Concertos in 2013. At home in Cleveland, Apollo’s Fire frequently enjoys sold-out performances at its subscription series, which has drawn national attention for creative programming. Apollo’s Fire has released 26 commercial CDs and won a GRAMMY® award in 2019 for the album Songs of Orpheus with tenor Karim Sulayman. AF’s recordings
have won rave reviews in the London press: “a swaggering version, brilliantly played” (THE TIMES) and “the Midwest’s best-kept musical secret is finally reaching British ears” (THE INDEPENDENT). Eight of the ensemble’s CD releases have become best-sellers on the classical Billboard chart: Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos & Harpsichord Concertos, a disc of Handel arias with soprano Amanda Forsythe titled The Power of Love (BILLBOARD Classical #3, 2015), and Jeannette Sorrell’s four crossover programs: Come to the River – An Early American Gathering (BILLBOARD Classical #9, 2011); Sacrum Mysterium – A Celtic Christmas Vespers (BILLBOARD Classical #11, 2012); Sugarloaf Mountain – An Appalachian Gathering (BILLBOARD Classical #5, 2015); and Sephardic Journey – Wanderings of the Spanish Jews (BILLBOARD World Music Chart #2 and BILLBOARD Classical #5, 2016); and Songs of Orpheus (BILLBOARD Classical #5, 2018).
“Led by a brilliant harpsichordist, Jeannette Sorrell, the ensemble exudes stylish energy – a blend of scholarship and visceral intensity.” – GRAMOPHONE
Community Partners Apollo’s Fire gratefully recognizes the following local businesses for their generous donation of goods and services throughout the season.
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If you are interested in becoming a Community Partner, please contact Angela Mortellaro, Development & Public Relations Manager, at 216.320.0012 x 6.
NEW THIS YEAR!
Interactive ZOOM Events for AF Ticket-Holders
PRE-CONCERT TALKS & DEMONSTRATIONS
with a pair of AF musicians and/or visiting scholar, held on Thursday and Saturday afternoons during concert weeks;
Virtual
LOBBY
Post-Concert 30-minute Q&A discussions with featured performers on Sunday evening of the concert weekend. Sit down with a glass of wine and toast the musicians on their performance! *Zoom events are limited to 80 screens per session. The first 30 spaces are held for donors and subscribers.
For more information call AF at 216.320.0012, or email info@apollosfire.org.
Apollo’s Fire Musicians Susanna Perry Gilmore, fiddle Julie Andrijeski, fiddle, viola, vielle Emi Tanabe, fiddle René Schiffer, viola da gamba & cello Kathie Stewart, wooden flutes Luke Conklin, harps, shawm & medieval bagpipes Tina Bergmann, hammered dulcimer Brian Kay, plucked instruments, vocals Brian Bigley, Uilleann pipes, Irish flute, dancer Ian Crane, Scottish bagpipes
Apollo’s Fire Singers *Singers rotate throughout multiple performances; not all singers are present at the same time.
SOPRANO Amanda Powell, soloist Molly Netter, comprimario Kristine Caswelch Sarah Coffman Melanie Emig Fiona Gillespie Ashley Lingenhoel Raha Mirzadegan Elena Mullins
BASS Jeff Strauss, soloist Aaron Keeney, soloist Ian Crane Daniel Fridley Anthony Gault Michael Peters Rehearsal accompanist: Anne Wilson
Apollo’s Musettes (Treble Youth Choir) Amanda Powell, director Serin Arikan Caroline Cannon Natalie Casa Luisa Castellanos Sofia Castellanos Ellie Edwards Sophie Gilson Hannah Gilson
Celia Hawk Bess von der Heydt Nora von der Heydt Kyra Parras Emma Quill Emma Riegel Elena Rodenborn Somiya Shirokauer Faith Shook
Isabella Stahl Juliana Stahl Natalie Surdy Eliza Taigen Michael Temesi Anna Turner Anika Yadati Elena Ziegler
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ALTO Leslie Frye John McElliott Joseph Schlesinger Nadia Tarnawsky Jay White
TENOR Ross Hauck, soloist Nathan Dougherty Bryan Munch Corey Shotwell Brian Wentzel
Musician Profiles
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JULIE ANDRIJESKI, fiddle, viola, vielle, is one of the USA’s leading baroque violinists and is a respected specialist in 17th-century repertoire. An active baroque dance teacher and performer, she is a founding member of Apollo’s Fire, Artistic Director of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, and Co-director of the 17th-century ensemble Quicksilver. A full-time faculty member in the CWRU Music Department, she directs the baroque music and dance ensembles and teaches seminars in historical performance. She also teaches baroque violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music and leads baroque dance seminars at The Juilliard School. In 2016 she received a coveted Creative Workforce Fellowship from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture as well as Early Music America’s Thomas Binkley award for excellence in performance and scholarship. TINA BERGMANN, hammered dulcimer, was hailed by Pete Seeger as “the best hammered dulcimer player I’ve heard in my life.” A fourthgeneration musician, Bergmann began playing music at age eight, learning the mountain dulcimer from her mother in the aural tradition and learning the hammered dulcimer at the knee of West Virginia-native builder and performer Loy Swiger. Demonstrating gifts for both performance and teaching, she has been a featured performer across the United States, performing solo; as a duo with her husband, bassist Bryan Thomas; with her stringband Hu$hmoney; and as a featured soloist with Apollo’s Fire and Canadian early music group, La Nef. BRIAN BIGLEY, Uilleann pipes, Irish flute, and dancer, has studied the Irish uilleann pipes for nearly 25 years as a player as well as a maker of the instrument. He has toured North America and Europe extensively as both a musician and dancer, appearing in shows such as Tomàseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas, the Omaha Symphony’s Celtic
Journey, and Apollo’s Fire Countryside Concerts. In 2002 and 2003 he competed with great distinction at the World Irish Dance Championships held in Glasgow and Killarney. He has recently released his fourth recording of traditional Irish music - Dance the Town Green in conjunction with the New York School of Irish Dance. LUKE CONKLIN, harps, shawm & medieval bagpipes, was a member of the first class of historical performers at the Juilliard School. He earned his doctorate in Historical Performance from Case Western Reserve University. He has performed with Portland Baroque, The American Bach Soloists, Trinity Wall Street Baroque Orchestra, Clarion Music Society, and many others. He maintains a small teaching studio in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In addition to performing Early Music on many instruments, he also plays Irish and Scottish flute and harp. IAN CRANE, Scottish bagpipes, teaches music at Cuyahoga Falls High School. He spent five years on faculty at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, as instructor of bagpipes. He has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and has sung with Contrapunctus, Quire Cleveland, and Bobby McFerrin. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in music education from Cleveland State University and a Master’s in conducting from Kent State University. SUSANNA PERRY GILMORE, fiddle, enjoys a multifaceted career as solo artist, chamber musician, and orchestral concertmaster. Performing on both modern and period instruments and versatile in diverse styles from classical to fiddling, she is hailed as a player who is both “thrilling and sensitive” by the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “luminous and hypnotic” by the Omaha World-Herald, and “authentic with exquisite good taste” and “rich in tone,
Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain bringing musical depth and a human touch” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. As concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony she frequently appears as a soloist including recent performances of the Scottish Fantasy by Max Bruch, Tzigane by Ravel, Berg Violin Concerto, Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart Concerto No. 5 and the Korngold Violin Concerto as well as major concertmaster solos such as Rimsky Korsakov Scheherazade and Strauss Ein Heldenleben. She holds degrees from Oxford University and the New England Conservatory and is the violinist on Apollo’s Fire’s best-selling CD recordings Sugarloaf Mountain and Sephardic Journey.
RENÉ SCHIFFER, viola da gamba & cello, is praised for his “interpretive imagination and patrician command of the cello” (THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER). He is a native of Holland where he was a protégé of Anner Bijlsma. He later studied baroque cello with Jaap ter Linden and viola da gamba with Catharina Meints. As a member of Sigiswald Kuijken’s La Petite Bande for sixteen years, he toured four continents and appeared many times on European television. He has also performed with
KATHIE STEWART, wooden flutes, is a founding member and principal flutist of Apollo’s Fire. A faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Music, she is also a Kulas Visiting Artist at CWRU, and former Curator of Harpsichords at the Oberlin Conservatory where she taught baroque flute for nearly twenty years. She is an avid proponent of Celtic music, playing Irish flute on several recordings from Apollo’s Fire. She has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Tafelmusik, The Four Nations Ensemble, Oberlin Baroque Ensemble, ARTEK, and the Bach Sinfonia in Washington, D.C. and is the Assistant Director of the Seattle Baroque Flute Workshop. EMI TANABE, fiddle, holds a Professional Diploma from Roosevelt University and a Master’s degree in music from the University of North Texas. She is an adjunct faculty at Benedictine University in Chicago, IL. Emi enjoys multifaceted career; she performs not only with Baroque ensembles but performs with Jazz/Latin groups, world music groups, Cirque du Soleil type of dinner shows and more.
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BRIAN KAY, plucked instruments, vocals, is a modern-day troubadour. He is the first Artistic Leadership Fellow of Apollo’s Fire and in 2019, won a Grammy® Award for his work on the CD Songs of Orpheus. He has performed throughout the world at venues such as the National Concert Hall of Dublin, Belfast Castle (Ireland), Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. His live radio appearances include NPR, WYPR and 98ROCK (Baltimore), WGBH (Boston), and WCLV (Cleveland). He has recorded for AVIE and Sono Luminus labels, and has been heard on more than ten album releases. He is a multiinstrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, traditional and historical music specialist, poet, and painter.
the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Les Musiciens du Louvre, and in over forty projects with Tafelmusik of Toronto. As a concerto soloist, he has appeared throughout North America and Europe, and can be heard on acclaimed CD recordings of the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Cellos and the Tango Concerto for Two Gambas (his own composition) on British label AVIE. He can be heard on more than forty CD recordings, on the Harmonia Mundi, Philips, Virgin Classics, Erato, Sony, and AVIE labels. He serves on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music as Teacher of Baroque Cello, and has given masterclasses and coachings for the New World Symphony (Miami), the University of Michigan, Oberlin Conservatory, and Cincinnati College-Conservatory.
Apollo’s Fire is thrilled to announce
The Windy City Residency Three-Concert Miniseries in 2020-21
“At long last, Apollo’s Fire has descended on Chicago… This was as exciting as baroque music gets.” – Chicago Classical Review After 4 years of successful concerts at Ravinia, University of Chicago, and Northwestern University, Apollo’s Fire is thrilled to launch the Windy City Residency. Our goal is to help bring new audiences to the early music scene in Chicago, as we have done in Cleveland. (Did you know that Northeast Ohio now has one of the 3 largest audiences for baroque music in the country?) The 2020-2021 residency includes 3 concerts in Evanston and Lincoln Park.
Attend in Person or at Home!
Allure The Three Amandas (VIDEO) December 17: Delight Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain (VIDEO) April 22 & 23: Celebration Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – rediscovered November 13:
Acclaimed violinist Rachel Barton Pine makes her Apollo’s Fire debut.
Plus… beginning in April 2021, our residency periods will also include educational outreach activities for school children. More information: Call Apollo’s Fire at 800.314.2535 or visit apollosfire.org/touring/chicago/
Visiting Artist for Diversity Outreach
REGGIE MOBLEY
Diversity Fellow
ASHLEE FOREMAN Music Outreach Interns
LIZ BULLOCK
LANGSTON MAXWELL
Apollo’s Fire believes that the arts are most compelling when they truly represent our diverse communities, including people of color. Whether on stage or in the audience, the deep emotions of music resonate with all of us. The MOSAIC PROJECT, underway at Apollo’s Fire since January 2020, is an ambitious Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity initiative that offers training, performance, and mentoring for talented young musicians of color. Conceived by Artistic Director Jeannette Sorrell, the program strives to increase diversity throughout the national early music field through a “pipeline” approach.
Why Mosaic? Like early music, a mosaic is an ancient art form. Just as a baroque composition consists of small thematic gestures linked together in harmony, so a mosaic picture consists of small, varied, colored pieces assembled in a design. In mosaics and in early music, the diverse, multicolored bits work harmoniously together to create the beauty of the whole.
Learn more at apollosfire.org/mosaic/
AF's Artistic Leadership Fellowship Program AF’s groundbreaking Artistic Leadership Mentoring Program provides mentoring and growth opportunities for outstanding young professional baroque musicians who have demonstrated leadership potential. Artistic Director Jeannette Sorrell designed the program in 2018, seeking to address the lack of opportunities for aspiring artistic directors to develop their leadership skills under the guidance of an experienced mentor. Each of AF’s Leadership Fellows works with Sorrell to develop programs that he/she will lead and perform in. Fellows participate in Board meetings, attend donor events, and collaborate with AF marketing staff to promote the project(s) they are leading. More information at apollosfire.org.
Current Leadership Fellows
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Alan Choo, violin Alan Choo became a Leadership Fellow in September 2019. He made his solo debut with Apollo’s Fire at the Tanglewood and Ravinia Music Festivals in 2017, performing “La Primavera” in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. He is also Founder and Artistic Director of Singapore’s first professional period ensemble, Red Dot Baroque. Since its formation in 2018, the ensemble has enjoyed multiple sold-out concerts and critical acclaim. As a modern violinist, Alan has appeared as a soloist with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra and many others. He has also given masterclasses and lectures in violin performance at several universities. Alan is in his final year at Case Western Reserve University pursuing a Doctorate in Historical Performance Practice under Julie Andrijeski. Alan’s Fellowship responsibilities with AF in 2020-21 include serving as soloist and co-concertmaster in the February and April programs, hosting several of AF’s Virtual Pre-Concert Talks, and serving as guest director for AF’s June 2021 “Countryside Concerts.”
Brian Kay, plucked instruments Brian Kay, lutenist and oud player, became AF’s first Artistic Leadership Fellow in September 2018. He has been featured on plucked instruments in many of AF’s most popular programs. He holds a Master’s degree in Historical Performance from the Peabody Conservatory. Developing a unique artistic identity as a modern-day troubadour, he often performs his own arrangements of medieval and Renaissance ballads, accompanying himself on the lute, lyre, or baroque guitar. Brian has toured extensively with the ensemble Ayreheart (led by renowned lutenist Ronn McFarlane) and has performed frequently with Hesperus and the Folger Consort. He served as co-director for AF’s Countryside Concerts in June 2017 and June 2018 and co-director of the Baroque Bistro series in 2018 and 2019. He is also featured on AF’s CD recordings Sugarloaf Mountain, Sephardic Journey, and Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain – all on the British label AVIE. Brian’s Fellowship responsibilities in 2020-21 include hosting several of AF’s Virtual Pre-Concert Talks and leading a Baroque Bistro program, as well as performing on plucked instruments in AF subscription programs.
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A FEW OF AF’S TOP TEN BILLBOARD BESTSELLERS
BACH: BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS
& Concertos for Harpsichord and Violin
SONGS OF ORPHEUS
Monteverdi | Caccini d’India | Landi
“A swaggering version... brilliantly played.”
“Elegant and heartfelt... rendered with stylishness and an easy grace.”
– THE SUNDAY TIMES (London)
– SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
MONTEVERDI VESPERS OF 1610
SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN
“Sorrell and her fine young choir lavish attention on every phrase... an unanticipated delight.” – INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW (UK)
An Appalachian Gathering “Beautiful and eloquent… infectious energy.” – GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE
THE POWER OF LOVE
Arias from Handel Operas “Packs an overwhelming emotional punch... exquisitely-judged.” – EARLY MUSIC REVIEW (UK)
CHRISTMAS ON SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN
An Irish-American Celebration “Riveting… spectacularly performed and deeply moving.” – SEEN & HEARD INTERNATIONAL
Visit our CD Gift Shop in the lobby, order online or call 216.320.0012 or 800.314.2535. A complete listing of CDs can be found at apollosfire.org.
This year, Apollo’s Fire Goes Worldwide! Give the Gift of a Watch-at-Home Concert Ticket or Subscription!
Do you have friends in other cities who would enjoy an Apollo’s Fire concert video? Or friends and loved ones sheltering at home in Northeast Ohio? Gift certificates for virtual tickets or subscriptions are available either as digital PDF’s or paper certificates that you can send through snail mail. * Watch-at-Home concert videos are sent to ticket-buyers and gift certificate recipients 8 days after the final performance of each program. * The video can be watched multiple times for up to 30 days. * Watch-at-Home patrons also receive the password to our lively ZOOM Pre-Concert Talks with visiting scholars and our * Virtual Lobby post-concert Q&A sessions with featured performers. 1 Concert video – $23 3-Concert mini-subscription – $60 (save 20%) 4-Concert subscription - $78 (save 20%) 5-Concert subscription - $93 (save 23%) 6-Concert subscription - $106 (save 26%) For more information visit the box office staff in the lobby, call AF at 216.320.0012, or email info@apollosfire.org.
Four Ways to Support Your Baroque Orchestra Community support from individuals and foundations is what makes the Passion possible. Help Apollo’s Fire continue making music that stirs our spirits and brings us together in a shared sense of community.
Give to Apollo’s Fire via cash, check, or credit card. Shares of stock
Avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of appreciated stock; receive a charitable income tax deduction.
Distribution from an IRA account
Avoid taxes on transfers of up to $100,000 from your IRA while satisfying required minimum distribution.
Gifts from a Donor Advised Fund
Obtain a charitable income tax deduction in the year of your gift and subsequently make annual recommendations on gifts from your Donor-Advised Fund.
Donations can be made online at apollosfire.org/support or by mail: 3091 Mayfield Road, Suite 217, Cleveland Heights 44118. For additional information, please contact Howard Bender, Executive Director at 216.320.0012 x 2.
“It’s amazing to see AF rising to this challenge and helping your musicians. Thank you!” – Adriane Post, violin
Apollo’s Fire Education Corner “An unseen part of the extraordinary work that Jeannette Sorrell is doing with Apollo’s Fire – the mentoring of young people through music.” – ClevelandClassical.com Apollo’s Fire has deeply touched and transformed the lives of many youngsters through its unique and vibrant education programs for over a dozen years. The hallmark of AF’s educational programs is the close interaction between professional musicians and students to garner the intimacy of the artistic learning experience.
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Apollo’s Musettes Ensemble – Treble Youth Choir Talented young singers ages 11-17 are chosen by audition for their clear, pure voices and outstanding musicianship. The ensemble rehearses under the direction of Amanda Powell and Jeannette Sorrell and performs in programs where children's voices are appropriate for the repertoire. Since its founding in 2005, the Musettes Ensemble has performed in nearly 35 concerts with Apollo’s Fire, including Praetorius’ Christmas Vespers, Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. The Musettes appear on AF’s acclaimed CD recording of the Christmas Vespers by Michael Praetorius and have been heard across the
“The opportunity to work with a world-class conductor before you are out of high school is amazing. To have the reallife experience of working with professional musicians is fantastic. It helps keep the rest of life in context.” – Augusta McKay Lodge, Musette alumna & baroque violinist
country on national radio broadcasts of that program. The Praetorius album attracted glowing reviews from the NEW YORK TIMES and GRAMOPHONE, both commenting on the “delightful” homespun charm of the children’s voices.
“I first got to sing with Apollo’s Fire when I was 16, and the experience opened up new horizons for me. It inspired me to pursue a career in music.” – Madeline Healey, Musette alumna & professional soprano
in 2018, the Musettes once again performed in Jeannette Sorrell’s Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain. Our talented young singers sang beautiful Christmas carols and shape-note hymns, and even danced up the aisles and on stage! The concert tour finished with a soldout performance at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Young Artist Apprentice Program “The Young Artists made a splendid impression both as soloists and team players, and earned an enthusiastic ovation.” – ClevelandClassical.com
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Since 2002, Jeannette Sorrell and her principal players have helped to train future Apollo’s Fire musicians by working with advanced conservatory students on the verge of professional careers. With a track-record of nearly 15 years, AF’s Young Artist alumni have now become leading up-and-coming young professionals in the national early music scene. Apprentices perform alongside seasoned AF musicians in rehearsals, concerts, and occasionally on tour and in recording sessions. Under the guidance of Sorrell and AF principal players, these emerging talents immerse themselves in the musical and also
Apollo’s Fire Education Corner (continued) the promotional/presentational elements necessary to build a career in early music. Apollo’s Fire Apprentices perform with the ensemble in selected concerts during the season. For audition information, contact Allison Richards at arichards@ apollosfire.org
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Music Workshops Apollo’s Fire musicians regularly coach Northeast Ohio middle and high school music students. Recent classes have included Kirtland High School, Riverside High School, Massillon High School, Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, the Community Music School at Baldwin Wallace, Hathaway Brown, Laurel School, St. Peter’s School (Mansfield), the Rainey Institute, and The Music Settlement. At the collegiate level, AF principal players have coached students at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Penn State University, the University of Michigan, Dartmouth College, and Shenandoah Conservatory, among others. Additionally, Jeannette Sorrell and René Schiffer have served as guest artist coaches at the New World Symphony in Miami – the nation’s premier orchestral academy. Since 2018, Apollo's Fire has also performed interactive workshops in Northeast Ohio elementary schools, in collaboration with the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning and with the support of the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation. AF has brought these workshops to over 2500 children at 18 schools since 2018. Two workshop
programs are currently offered: “A Spider Named Apollo” (based the children's book by Dr. Jeanne Sorrell and Jeannette Sorrell) and “Wing It! – Making It Up As You Go Along” (an improvisation workshop). In-school workshops are led by Artist-in-Residence for Outreach Performances Amanda Powell. NEW IN 2020 - AF will launch virtual programming for elementary students! If you are a teacher interested in using these new online learning materials, please contact Allison Richards at arichards@apollosfire.org for more information.
Family Concerts Interactive Programs for Ages 6-96
WARNING: audience members might learn to sing a fugue theme, dance the Menuet, or play a ground bass at the harpsichord! Impromptu quizzes and prizes abound! – as do opportunities to talk with the musicians and try playing the instruments. Family Concerts are performed at popular and accessible venues including the Cleveland Museum of Art and Akron Art Museum
A Few of AF's Past Family Concert Programs
BACH & His Amazing Musical Family FROGGIE WENT A-COURTIN’ A Folk Music Discovery A Day at Vivaldi’s Orphanage BAROQUE CLOWNS Meet Harlequin & Columbine! Ballads & Musical Tall Tales
“Sorrell proves that scholarship and fun aren’t mutually exclusive.” – The Cleveland Plain Dealer
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RAINBOW SONGS Music of our Brothers & Sisters Across the Planet
Thank you to our Supporters FOUNDATIONS, GOVERNMENT & OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Apollo’s Fire is grateful to the following funders who have made the 2020-2021 Season possible: $100,000 & above Cuyahoga Arts & Culture $50,000 – $99,999 Paul M. Angell Family Foundation The Cleveland Foundation $20,000 – $49,999 Anonymous The George Gund Foundation Kulas Foundation John P. Murphy Family Foundation National Endowment of the Arts Ohio Arts Council Peg’s Foundation Albert G. & Olive H. Schlink Foundation The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation
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$10,000 – $19,999 Akron Community Foundation Martha Holden Jennings Foundation Horizons Incorporated Ideastream
$2,000 – $4,999 Eileen M. Burkhart & Co., LLC Disciples Christian Church Feth Family Foundation The Ferry Family Foundation Harry K. & Emma R. Fox Charitable Foundation The Hankins Foundation The Richard Horvitz & Erica Hartman Horvitz Foundation Lehner Family Foundation Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation The Sisler McFawn Foundation Struktol Company of America The Welty Family Foundation $1,000 – $1,999 Bath Community Fund Cohen & Company Meaden & Moore Wealth Center pinnaCLE. Lloyd L. & Louise K. Smith Foundation
$5,000 – $9,999 The Mary S. & David C. Corbin Foundation Glenmede Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. LRC Realty, Inc. The Lubrizol Corporation Northern Trust The O’Connor Hubach Foundation Summa Health Tucker Ellis LLP Whitmer & Ehrman LLC WKSU
Albert G. & Olive H. Schlink Foundation
This project was supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.
THE RITORNELLO CIRCLE
A ritornello is the recurring theme in a baroque concerto. Likewise, members of the Ritornello Society annually support and sustain the artistic programs of Apollo’s Fire. Their generosity enables us to pursue our vision of attaining international recognition through touring, recordings and broadcasts. CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE ($25,000 & above) Jeff & Jamie Barnett Chuck & Christy Bittenbender Robert Conrad Dr. & Mrs. Richard J. Lederman Marie Rowley Herb & Jody Wainer MOUNT OLYMPUS CIRCLE ($10,000 – $24,999) Anonymous Fred & Mary Behm William P. Blair III Bill & Mary Conway Ann Fairhurst & Mark Cipra Fred & Holly Glock Cynthia Knight Jane & Bernard Lerner Marilyn & Tom McLaughlin Mrs. Alfred M. Rankin Astri Seidenfeld Dr. Michael J. Seider Drs. Gregory & Jeanne Sorrell Karen & Richard Spector
MEDICI CIRCLE ($1,000 – $2,499) Anonymous Violet Abad G.O. Anderson Richard & Eleanor Aron Richard Bauschard Karl & Amanda Bekeny Howard & Ellen Bender John & Laura Bertsch Matthew Bittner Zeda Blau
Peter & Consuelo Blohm Mitch & Caroline Borrow Ann Amer Brennan John & Ellen Cannon Kathleen Cerveny Michael & Susan Clark Tom & Karen Clark Herb & Ursula Cohrs Douglas Cooper Harry Core Mr. & Mrs. Stuart Crampton Thomas M. & Janet S. Daniel Ralph & Nancy Darr Michael & Susan Delahanty Rosa & Jacob Dijkstra Frederick & Mary Lu D’Onofrio Duesenberg Family Dale & Sue Edwards Diane & Michael Ellis Barbara & Denis Feld Jay & Kim Gaebelein Bob & Ann Gillespie Peter & Francine Gray Jon & Aimee Grimm The Hankins Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Norman Harbert Julia M. Healy Peter & Sunnie Hellman Drs. Ka-Pi Hoh & Brian Perry The Richard Horvitz & Erica Hartman Horvitz Foundation Sarah & Dick Hollington Thomas E. & Marsha G. Hopkins Michael & Jane Horvitz Mrs. M.B. Humphrey The Marta & Donald Jack Charitable Fund Dr. Thomas Forrest Kelly Mr. & Mrs. Howard Kinstlinger Eric & Sue Kisch Rabbi Roger Klein & Jacqi Loewy Ursula Korneitchouk Dr. & Mrs. Adrian & Margaret Krudy Lon & Claudia Lanzendorfer Harold & Susan LaPine Jon & Ginny Lindseth Joan C. Long Annette Lowe & Doug Dolch
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VERSAILLES CIRCLE ($5,000 – $9,999) Anonymous (2) Bonnie M. Baker Douglas & Barbara Bletcher Arthur V. N. Brooks Homer Chisholm & Gertrude Kalnow Chisholm Fund The Deveny Family James W. Ehrman Dr. Chip Gilkeson Russell Hardy Lawrence Levey George I. Litman, M.D. Fred & Pearl Livingstone Brendan & Elizabeth Patterson James & Lenore Schilling Daniel & Ruth Shoskes Tim & Jennifer Smucker Gregory Videtic, M.D.
ESTERHAZY CIRCLE ($2,500 – $4,999) Anonymous (2) Ric & Kate Asbeck Mitch & Liz Blair Keith Eggeman Feth Family Foundation The Ferry Family Foundation Marguerite I. Harkness, CPA Sam & Lynn Harris Samuel & Kimberly Hartwell Jane Haylor & Mel Berger In memory of Sheldon & Marilyn MacLeod Byron G. & Elizabeth A. Hays Herbert J. Hoppe, Jr. Robert & Katherine Kretschmann Stephen & Mary Ann Mahoney Patti & Hadley Morgenstern-Clarren Lori & Dan Nelson John & Linda Olejko Gertrude F. Orr Advised Fund of Akron Community Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Leroy B. Parks, Jr. Bill & Sandra Powel Laura & Joseph Rushton Phil & Noha Ryder Alice S. Sherman Ryan Siebel Richey & Sandra Smith Tim & Jennifer Smucker Lucy & Dan Sondles John P. & Verna Vander Kooi Robert & Diane Walcott Anne & Ed Wardwell
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Thank you to our Supporters (continued) Rev. Richard Lutz Dr. Kandice Marchant Lisa Martinez John C. Morley Stephen & Celeste Myers Kim Parry Ingegard & Gosta Pettersson Virginia Poirier & John Petrenchik Pysht Fund Dr. Robert W. Reynolds Elizabeth Richards Jane N. Richmond Alan Rocke & Cristine Rom Melvin & Miriam Rosenthal James Rosenthal & Annie Fullard Kasia G. & Douglas Rothenberg Mrs. Alicia T. Rozenbom Nan & Peter Ryerson Betty & Dave Schneider Kenneth Shafer Alice S. Sherman Frank Shoemaker Jeannette Sorrell Brit & Kate Stenson Terry & Jamie Stoller Rebecca K. Storey & Neal Simpson Kristina & Albert Susinskas Elizabeth & Michael Taipale Anne Unverzagt & Richard Goddard Libby & Ed Upton Mary Warren Ed & Ellen Weber David & Judy Young Janice Young Rick & Jo Ann Young Richard & Mary Zigmond The Zucker Family BRANDENBURG CIRCLE ($500 – $999) Anonymous (3) Pheobe Prioleau & David Anderson Patricia Ashton Cynthia Ball Laura Bauschard In honor of Astri Seidenfeld Christian & Marianne Bernadotte Dennis & Madeline Block The Echle-Walters Family Fund of InFaith Community Foundation Karen Bradley & Tom Norton
Erica Brenner & Gary Adams Douglas & Kelly Brill Frances S. Buchholzer Mr. & Mrs. William D. Buss II Albert Leonetti & Ruth Anna Carlson Julia Cepulis Ms. Linda Sperry & Linda Chopra Tom & Anita Cook Louise Cook Esther & David Cooper Roger Creps W. Dean Dabson David & Adelaide Davies Neil & Karen Davies Mark DelPrincipe Sara Drowlette Jim & Deb Edwards Diane & Warren Farr R. Jeffrey Fast Michael Frank & Patricia Snyder Ruth H. Laufer Friedman Judge Stuart Friedman & Mr. Arthur Kane Alexander & Carol Garklavs Daniel Garland Lynn M. Gattozzi Karen Gerken Daniel & Kathleen Gisser Susan L. Golden Richard & Ann Gridley Robert J. Gura Louise E. Hamel Kurt Hass Caitlin Haught Thomas E. & Jane M. Healy Richard & Laurette Hershey Fred Heupler, M.D. Robert & Kathleen Heyka Edith F. Hirsch Derf Hopsecger Dr. Christine A. Hudak & Mr. Marc F. Cymes Elaine Jackson John & Mary Jenkins Linda Johnson Carole Kass Walter Keith Jane & Douglas Kern Ilona Kisis Raymond & Katherine Kolcaba Dennis & Betty Kondrich Steve & Carolyn Kuerbitz Denise Lachowski Heather Lanfranchi & Stephen DeOreo
Diann Lapin Jody Lefort & Ken Gober Rudolph & Linda Libertini Jr. William Mandel, DVM Kevin Martin Rex & Heath Mason Ethan & Karen McLaughlin Anita Meeker Mr. & Mrs. A. Malachi Mixon III Laura & Charles Monroe Carole & George Morris The Laura R. & Lucian Q. Moffitt Foundation Brian & Cindy Murphy Deb Nash Gay S. Nelson David Nolin Patrick & Judith O’Hara William & Katherine O’Neill Marilyn Orr John S. Perko Mr. Franklyn & Dr. Marion Perry Jane Peterson & Phil Star Dr. & Mrs. Roland Philip Ellen Picard & Pat Hartman Richard & Joanne Prober Claiborne R. Rankin William Watterson & Melissa Richmond Ted & Martha Rodenborn Arthur Rotatori Myra Samsa Elizabeth Hecht & Pete Savoy Dorothy M. Sawyer Richard & Dina Schoonmaker Rev. Sandra Selby Merryl Shapiro Vance & Donna Sherwood John & Laura Shields Richard Shirey Drs. Jerry & Linda Shuck Mr. & Mrs. James Simler Murray Somerville Fred W. Steffen Fred & Betsy Stueber Thomas Suddes Richard & Claire Troha Dean & Annie Valore Catherine Veres Mark Walker Mary Echle & Reed Walters Dickson & Ann Whitney Mr. & Mrs. David Wildermuth Robert C. & Emily C. Williams Andrea Zadell
& William S. Gaskill Irene Georgantas John & Pam Gibbon Andrew Gordon-Seifert Lee & Peter Haas Barbara Hanselman John Harmon William C. Hatch Christine Havice Robin Herrington-Bowen Franklin & Kathleen Hickman Douglas M. & Suzanne R. Hicks Deborah Hilzinger Jacqueline Hoyt Joan C. Ishibashi Heather Izanec Gale & Jim Jacobsohn Dr. Larry Parker & Mrs. Jennifer Johnson Marjorie Johnson Morton Julius Catherine Keating & Charles King Mr. & Mrs. Joseph & Nancy Keithley Barbara Kincaid Melodee Kornacker Jim & Rhonda Kroeger Barbara Kuby Bob & Linda Kuchner Mr. & Mrs. John Kundtz Donna Lalewicz Ed Larson Alan & Jean Lettofsky Richard Lilley & Carmen Letelier Kermit & Barbara Lind Susan Locke Stephen Lorton Mrs. F. Machado John D. Mancinelli Elizabeth K. Mann Roey & Jeff Margulies Rick & Judy Maron Dr. Lee Martin Nancy McCormack Mr. Christopher C. & Dr. Gaylee McCracken Linda & Peter McDonald Charitable Fund Marilyn K. McDonald Robert McInnes Michael & Ellen Meehan Bill & Carla Merkel Trent & Irene Meyerhoefer Loretta S. Miller Timothy & Marjorie Minnis
John & Janet Mitchell Kirk Morehead David Nash Deborah L. Neale Joseph & Maryanna Ogonek David & Ann Olszewski Elizabeth Osborne Sue & Jim Paine Carmen Paradis Jim & Kathy Pender Anne-Marie Petros Robert Plantz Elisabeth C. Plax Malcolm & Virginia Pollard In honor of Sue & Dale Edwards 60th Anniversary Thomas & Maria Prendergast Quentin & Gay Quereau Judith E. Quin John N. Rampe & Elinore Evans Sally & Derek Rance Charles Rankin Dr. Diana C. Reep Michael & Dawn Rickman Dr. Clare M. Rimnac & Dr. Thomas M. Hering Mr. & Mrs. Todd Rosenberg Donald Rosenberg Isobel Rutherford Martin I. Saltzman, M.D. Dr. & Mrs. James Sampliner Jaquelynn Savoca Donald E. Schmid & Rosemary L. Reymann Cal & Camille Schroeck Dot Schwende In memory of Joyce Daunch Paul Secunde Hedy E. Simmons Cheryl & David Simon Peggy Skerda Mr. & Mrs. Kempton Smith Brad & Leslie Smith Mr. & Mrs. William Spatz Drs. Frederick & Elizabeth Specht Alan Steffen Mark & Virginia Steiger Saundra Stemen Sharon G. Stern M.D. AJ & Nancy Stokes Dave & Reanetta Taylor Matthew Vrabel Churchill & Evelyn Ward Deborah M. Webb Mary Wehrle Lucile G. Weingartner Robert A. & Judith M. Weiss
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BUCKINGHAM CIRCLE ($250 – $499) Anonymous (3) Ann V. Adams Michael & Cynthia Ahern Chace & Josephine Anderson Robert Neil Andreano Atty. LuWayne Annos Robert & Dalia Baker William & Carolyn Batcheller Michael & Mary Anne Baumgartner Andrew & Patricia Bazar Jim & Vickie Bell Terry Bernstein Robert Boltz Terry & Christine Bowman John & Mary Boyle Jo Brookhart Tom & Mary Brooks Glenn & Jenny Brown Leslie S. Brown John & Mimi Brulia Bill & Carol Bruml Stephen & Jeanne Bucchieri James & Judy Burghart Catharina Meints Caldwell Michael & Kareen Caputo Richard & Sharon Chmielewski Robert Chwast Judy & Bob Ciulla Lawrence & Beverly Cole James Collins & Patricia Brownell Gary P. Davis Patricia Deems Fredrich & Polly Dengel Michael & Jan Devereaux Carol Dolan Barbara A. Domski Constance Dubick Jim & Jane Ehrman Kathryn Eloff Leorita Ensign Joe & Judy Erlichman John Farina Frederick A. Fellowes Marcia Ferguson Harvey Finkel Casey Forbes Chann Fowler-Spellman Debra Franke Lois Freedman & Mark Munetz Thomas J. Froehlich Nancy Fuller John H. Gardner Kathleen B. Burke
Thank you to our Supporters (continued) Annabelle Weiss Barbara Weiss John & Ruth Wengrovius Lois S. Wolf Diane Powers Wright B. Wynne & P. Cozzens Stanley & Mary Zitello John & Jane Zuzek
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INDIVIDUAL DONORS ($100 – $249)
Anonymous (6) Anna Abell James Able Kathy Alexander Judie & Bruce Amsel Pam Amundson & Joel Godard Edward Andros Richard Antonucci Patricia L. Armfelt Nancy Arnest Jon Asbornsen Jay Auwerter Jacob & Susan Baker Virginia Banks Jacob Bannet George D. Banta, DVM Linda L. Barclay Robert & Susan Barkett Christine Bartzis Victoria B. Bauer William & Christine Baxter Lisa A. Benedetti Kathy Berg Dr. & Mrs. N. K. Berg Holly & Chris Bernene Alexandra Beyer Sue & Art Biagianti Alan & Peggy Bialosky Tom & Dorothy Bier Henry Billingsley Helga Binder Mark & Kathleen Binnig John & Susan Blackwell Glenn Blair Lillian Boehmer Mr. & Mrs. Gary Boncella Cathryn Booth Laforce Scott Bowen Thomas Bowne Corey Boyer Elizabeth Brinkman Nancy E. Brown Elizabeth G. Burger Marilyn Busch Len Bussard Emily Butler In memory of Betty Doty Kevin J. Bylsma James Calhoun Greg Callaghan Janet & Kathleen Carnall
Charles & Jan Carr Cindy Carr Eileen Cernea Jason Chance John & Josie Chapman Sonia Chapnick Christopher & Maryanne Chengelis Joanne Chu Anna Lee Cleary Patrick & Jean Cleary-Burns William Clifford Carolyn Coatoam Jim & Berni Cockey Joan Cody Tony Colby Ann E. Cole James & Rebecca Cole Matthew & Virginia Collings Thomas & Mary Comerford Carol Connelly Colleen & John Cooney Arthur Cooper Derek Cottier Dale & Sue Cowan Barbara Cox Ian Crane KeyBank Foundation Betty A. Crighton John Crighton Margaret Cullis Roman & Diana Dale Mrs. Andrew Dalzell Barbara Ann Davis Anne & Paul Davis Mark Dawson Jeffrey & Barbara Dean Mark & Eileen DeGuire Chris & Mary Ann Deibel James Demarco Joellen Deoreo Arthur DePalma Elizabeth Dery & Steven Schecter Robert Dianetti Roderick & Barbara Dibble Charles & Gail Dixon Henry C. Doll Charles & Mary Dolph Doris Donnelly Mary Kay DeGrandis & Edward Donnelly Patricia Dorner Dr. & Mrs. Michael Dowell Molly Downing Mark Doyle Don & Kathy Dregalla Kristina DuBois Mary Dunbar Susan and John Durham Barbara Eaton S. Stuart Eilers Karl Eiselsberg Mrs. Linda S. Ellis Mary Emerson
Ural Erdem John Evans The Art of Freedom Stanley & Sharon Fairchild Jennifer Fakult Catherine Fallick Leah Farrar Robert & Marcia Fein Anita Fell Ruth E. Fenske Suzanne Ferguson Phillip Fertik Daniel Fickes Carol & Daniel Fishwick Claude Flandro David Forte Mr. & Mrs. William M. Foster Christopher Francis Linda R. Frank Elle Frauenthal Helen L. Frey Harriet Friedman Katherine Funkner Prof. Leon Gabinet Mike Galloway James Gandre Timothy Gao Stephen H. Gariepy Melinda Garrett Robert & Helen Gelbach Dorinda Gershman Joseph K. Getz Nina Gibans Andrew Gibson Timothy Gilligan Anne & Walter Ginn Mark Gordon Dr. & Mrs. Ronald L. Gould David M. Gracon Norman & Antonette Graham David Gras In loving memory of Anoinette L. Gras who loved music and Apollo’s Fire Roger Gregory Sally & Bob Gries Dr. Kathleen S. Grieser Debra Griest & John Clark Nancy Griffith Traci Gruich Armin Guggenheim Alan & Ruth Gurd Selma Gwatkin Peter & Lee Haas Karen Hackenberry Arndt Haddenbrock Jeffrey Hadley Cathleen Hadley-Samia Tom Hagesfeld Martha S. Harding Jan Harding William Harwood Mr. & Mrs. Henry R. Hatch
Anthony Kozar & Elizabeth Mather Bob & Carol Kubovcik Margaret Krolikowski Raymond Labuda Mr. & Mrs. Arthur J. Lafave, Jr. Candace Lake Jason Lakin James Lalak David & Janine Lambros Scott Lamont Diane S. LeBlanc Pamela LeRose Richard & Madeline Levitz Cathy & John Lewis Michael & Valerie Libman Lawrence Liden Helen Liggett William S. Lind Steve Linscheid Enno Lohmeyer Sue & Larry Luck Richard Lynde Kalle Lyytinen Martha Maddox Jimmy Madsen Harold & Elaine Marsh Patrick Mason William Mason Julianne Matsko John & Margaret McBride Jeff McElhinny Frederick T. McGuire III Michael & Christine McGuire Mark & Terese McLeod Elizabeth Mease Eric Megla James & Virginia Meil Maria Menassa Katherine Menges Millee Mervart Natalie Miahky David & Wendy Miano Hannah Miedel Gene Milford Kevin Miller Helga Miller Sarah Miller Bernard Miner David Minich Vincent Monnier Karen & Randall Moore Tim & Leslie Moore Zachary Morowitz Andy & Joyce Morton Kiri’s “Mom” Skip & Marion Murfey Elizabeth Myers Joseph & Barbara Nahra Don Nash Douglas and Denise Nash Dale & Jim Naylor Mike Needs & Kathy Fraze James T. & Julia Neff
Roger Nelson Charlene & Marv Nevans Mary Ann Nolan David Nolin & Carolyn Klohn Larry & Donna Nowak Thomas P. O’Donnell Thomas O’Mahoney Terrence O’Malley Mary Openshaw Dr. and Mrs. A.P. Ormond, Jr. William Owens Carol R. Patterson Jean Perkins Janet Pesek Barbara Peskin Ron Peters Lorna & Butch Pfaelzer Melodie Phillips Stephen Phillips Katrina Pipasts Amy & Cantor Misha Pisman Carla Z. Pivcevich Tara Pollak Jeffrey Pollock Mr. & Mrs. Martin P. Pope Mr. & Mrs. Richard G. Porter Dave Pull Dr. James F. Quilty, Jr. Kathy Rabin Michael & Christine Randall Anne Giller Randall H. Clair Rankin Cal & Roberta Ratcliff Frank & Yolita Rausche Laura Rayburn Judy Reeves William & Jan Resseger Gretchen Reynolds Douglas & Sandra Rider Barbara S. Robinson Hans Rohr Jonathan Ross Anthony & Denise Ross Betty Rossi Nadine Roszko Laurel Schauer Rowen Bobbie Rudnick Robert Rutledge Roger & Elizabeth Salomon Kathy Sands Noel Sargent Kenneth L. Schafrath Dr. Adrian M. Schnall Tilman Schober Glenn E. Schreiber John & Barbara Schubert Betty Jo Scurei Susan & Richard Sebastian Linda A. Seiber Gary Seng Dr. & Mrs. William C. Sheldon Omar & Jill Siddiq Heda Silverstein
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Marian Hatton Rodney Hayslett Sandra Virginia Hazra Louise A. Head Jon V. Heider John Hemphill Sally Hennessey Malcolm Henoch Yolanda Hicks Merry Higgs Frank & Joan Hiti Gloria Hoffman Bob & Janet Hogue Martin & Maria Hoke Joe Holcomb Gary Holliday Eric J. Holmes Melvin Holt Nancy & David Hooker Ilana Horowitz Ratner Norma Horswell Arne Hosbach Lansing & Patience Hoskins, MD Rev. David Houdeschell Joan M. Hull John & Gerri Humphrey Sally Huntsberger Marcia Hurt Mark Hyman Keiko Imai Glenda Insua Byron H. & Diane F. Jackson Dr. Tom & Mary Ann Jackson Jodith Janes MaryAnn Janosik Robert & Linda Jenkins Jerison Family Lisa Johnson Sandra & David Johnson Peter Jones Stephen Jones Bob & Annamarie Kachurek Shannon Kahle Gail Kallock Carol Kamphuis Darla Kashian Dr. & Mrs. C. William Keck Ardith Keck Charles Keller Ellen Keller Chere and Patrick Kilbane Maryanne King Janet Kinkaid Daniel Kirkpatrick James H. Kiser Marjorie Kitchell Dr. & Mrs. Robert Kiwi Drs. Robert & Nancy Klein Melinda Knight Nancy & Rik Kohn S. L. Kohrman Susan Korosa Ihor Kowalysko
Thank you to our Supporters (continued) David Simmons Shirley Simmons Lois Simpson Clive Sinoff Iola Skinner Catherine Smith Richard & Kim Snyder Murray Somerville Doris Sopher Michael & Saundra Sotak The Spallino Family Mr. & Mrs. William Spanfellner Ina Stanek James Stang Walt & Kathy Stashkiw Mickey Stefanik Joan Steidl & Nancy Logan Lorelei Stein-Sapir Nancy Stemmer Lisa L. Stidham Erin Stone Eileen Stork Scott & Carol Strawn Pat Strnad Rita Stroempl Anita Szegvari Marica Tacconi
Diana & Harris Taylor Fred & Mary Jane Thomas Martha Thompson Ray Thompson David & Ann Marie Tomchak Edward & Hildred Tornberg Kevin Trangle Dr. & Mrs. George Trautwein In honor of Jeannette Howard & Sara Tucker Sue Tumlinson Linda Turek David Utlak James & Becki Verbringe Chuck Vergon Adele Viguera Paul Vincent Edward Vogel Patrice Voto William & Trudy Walker Larry Wallerstein John Walton Richard Waltz Jim & Chris Wamsley Bruce Washington Ann Waters Sharon Watts
Jean B. Weaver Cliff Weber Mr. & Mrs. Mark Allen Weigand Roger Welchans Kathryn Westlake David Weymiller Marcia Wexberg & Ken Singer Cooper & Debbie White Dorothy Whittenberger Yoash & Sharon Wiener Craig & Karen Wilde Vickie Wildeman Laura Williams William Williams Colleen Williams Marcia G. Wittenbrook Michael & Jean Wolpert Casey Forbes & Signe Wrolstad-Forbes Sharon Yarnell Carol Yellig Henry Young Helen L. Zakin Chuck & Ann Zellmer Eleanor Zmeskal Charlotte Zmyslo
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The following people gave gifts in memory of Anthony Troia Bob Bensen Chuck Bittenbender Ann E. Cole Rosemary Donzella Jan & Michael Devereaux Richard & Deena Epstein Heidi & Robert Fatica Chann Fowler-Spellman Suzanne & Benoy Joseph Annette Lowe Gil & Carol Lowenthal Audrey Morris Deb Nash Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper Noha Ryder Jeanne Shatten Nancy Soboro Jeanne Sorrell Terry Stoller Gordon & Linda Wetzel Sheila Wyse League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland
Thank you to our donors who gave at levels not listed in this program book. Your contributions enable our success! This list includes donors from December 1, 2019 - December 1, 2020. Every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Please call 216.320.0012 x 6 with any errors or omissions.
“What an incredible organization Apollo’s Fire is for how they’ve responded during this pandemic. I have always felt grateful to be part of the orchestra, but the sense of community and support is unlike anything else I’m seeing right now, and it’s a huge honor to be a part of it! You are providing security for your artists in addition to keeping the organization afloat” – Brian Kay, Artistic Leadership Fellow
Passionate for your pets
Day Care • Dog Walks • Grooming Home Visits • Pet Sitting For All Pets Small Group Classes • Consultations Tellington TTouch® Practitioner shop online or in our store: Natural Foods • Treats • Supplements Supplies • Active Gear • Gifts for dogs, cats and people curbside pickup or free delivery available
3103 Mayfield Rd, Cleveland Hts, OH 44118 216.402.6513 • AnimalZen.net
Coming in late 2020 to Cleveland Heights! Available now at fine restaurants, North Union Farmer’s Market at Shaker Square, and Ohio City Provisions in the Cleveland area. Visit our website for details. marchantmanor.com | 2211 Lee Road
Did you know that AF has over 5 million views of its YouTube videos? Check out our YouTube channel — apollosfirebaroque
Innkeepers & Charioteers Apollo’s Fire would like to thank the following patrons who generously provided accommodations & transportation for our musicians during the 2019-2020 season.
Innkeepers Gail Arnoff & George Woideck • Kathleen & Mark Binnig Chuck & Christy Bittenbender • Jan & Jerry Bohinc Eileen M. Burkhart • Ann Calkins • Richard & Judy Cohen Kim Conklin & Damir Janigro • Elizabeth Cusma • Dulcie Dugar Carol Engler • Leigh & Andrew Fabens • Amy & Tom Feran Debra Franke • Jacqueline Freedman • Debra Golden & Michael Star Antonnette Graham • Russell Hardy • Jane Haylor & Mel Berger Ann Herbruck • Carole Kass • Marjorie Kitchell & Spencer Neth Lili & Gregg Lustig • Mary Ann & Steve Mahoney Jay & Arlene Mann • Dr. Kandice Marchant Marilyn & Tom McLaughlin • Linda Miller & Steve Forgerson Charlotte & Jack Newman • Linda & John Olejko • Jane Richmond Kasia & Douglas Rothenberg • Dr. Linda Sandhaus & Dr. Roland Philip Daniel & Ruth Shoskes • Joseph & Betsy Sopko Anne Unverzagt & Rick Goddard • Ed & Ellen Weber
Charioteers Gail Arnoff • Beth Bliss • Veronica Dever • Carol Engler Betty Gregovich • Carole Hanic • Scott Hare • Byron Hays Edith Hirsch • Barbara Nahra • Martin Pope • Ed Rosenberg Susan Schaul • Peggy Stojkov • Judith Weiss • Bob Young For information about becoming an Innkeeper or Charioteer, please contact Martin Daukss at mdaukss@apollosfire.org.
Administration Howard Bender, Executive Director Noha Ryder, Chief Financial Officer Allison Richards, General Manager Barbara Feld, Director of Patron & Donor Relations – Summit County Angela Mortellaro, Development & Public Relations Manager Loren Reash-Henz, Patron Services Coordinator Margi Haigh, Box Office & Marketing Associate Melanie Emig, Staff Accountant & Patron Services Associate Erica Brenner, Director of Media Production Tom Frattare, Stage Production Manager Martins Daukss, Stage Manager & Operations Coordinator
A fun way to help Apollo’s Fire! Host a musician or guest artist!
For more information on how to become an Innkeeper once the pandemic has ended, please contact Martins Daukss, Operations Coordinator at mdaukss@apollosfire.org.
3091 Mayfield Road, Suite 217 | Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 216.320.0012 | apollosfire.org
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THANK YOU to our superb volunteers who open their homes to visiting Apollo’s Fire musicians. AF’s “Innkeeper” program may be on hold temporarily due to the pandemic, however we are always seeking new host homes - particularly if you live in the Cleveland Heights/Shaker Heights area.
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COMING IN FEBRUARY
Elegance
The Harper’s Voice
FEBRUARY 18-21 Parker Ramsay, baroque harps & direction with Amanda Powell, soprano
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 virtuoso harpist, Parker Ramsay, weaves their stories and their music into an evening of intimate artistry. Six Apollo’s Fire musicians on violins, flute, cello, hammered dulcimer, and plucked instruments join in the sparkling music of O’Carolan, Purcell, William Lawes, and Handel.
Tickets at 216.320.0012 | apollosfire.org Watch In Person or At Home!