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.

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!

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 of the Board