Apollo’s Fire (Photo: Camilla Tassi)
Apollo’s Fire returns to Chicago for its fourth season — the Second City is the Cleveland-based Baroque ensemble’s second home. The Chicago season’s theme, Nourishing the Soul, is expressed in works by Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel.
The season begins on October 25 and 26 with a sampling of the Brandenburg concertos. Conducted by founder and artistic director Jeannette Sorrell, the ensemble performs the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th entries in Bach’s concerto collection with violin soloist Alan Choo and guest trumpeter Caleb Hudson. Performances will be held at Evanston’s Nichols Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago and Chicago’s St. James Cathedral, with WFMT’s Music Director Oliver Camacho giving pre-concert lectures for both.
Jeannette Sorrell (Photo: Apollo’s Fire)
The ensemble will visit Ravinia on December 6 for a program celebrating the Irish immigrant experience and the Christmas season with WASSAIL! An Irish-Appalachian Christmas.
Soon after, on December 15 and 16, the ensemble will perform Handel’s Messiah in two programs at St. James Cathedral and Winnetka’s Saints Faith, Hope, & Charity Church. Sorrell will again conduct.
In conjunction with Valentine’s Day, February 13 and 14 will see performances sharing romantic works by Antonio Vivaldi and Claudio Monteverdi. The two performances will take place at Nichols Hall and Chicago’s Driehaus Museum in River North.
Finally, Jeannette Sorrell and the ensemble close out its Chicago season in April with a performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor at St. James Cathedral and Evanston’s First Presbyterian.
Music education is important to Apollo’s Fire, and that includes ongoing instruction at Matteson School District 162 as well as free family concerts on October 5 and 6 and workshops at Chicago Public School locations on October 4, 7, and 8.
Apollo’s Fire will release two albums in the fall: Bach’s Coffeehouse and Bach’s Harpsichord Concertos.
For more information, visit apollosfire.org.
