Houston TX based Apollo Chamber Players “performs with rhythmic flair and virtuosity” (The Strad) and has “found fruitful territory” (Houston Chronicle) through innovative, globally- inspired programming and multicultural new music commissions. Recent winner of Chamber Music America’s prestigious Residency Partnership award, the quartet has performed for sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall twice in the past five years, and it holds the distinction of being the first American chamber ensemble to record and perform in Cuba since the embargo relaxation. Apollo is featured frequently on American Public Media’s nationally-syndicated program Performance Today.

Apollo is a passionate advocate of contemporary music. In 2014, the organization launched a bold project to commission 20 new multicultural works by the end of the decade. Now approaching its conclusion, 20×2020 features a roster of the world’s leading composers including Grammy- winners Libby Larsen and Christopher Theofanidis. The group has collaborated with renowned ensembles and artists including the Houston Ballet and Houston Chamber Choir, Grammy/ Emmy winner and Academy Award contributor Vanessa Vo, James Dunham, Ismail Lumanovski, and Indian Classical music star Chitravina N. Ravikiran, among others.

“Ancestral Voices is the most culturally relevant, politically topical, and necessary album of them all.” (American Record Guide) Apollo’s three studio albums have garnered international acclaim, reaching millions of listeners around the world. Apollo’s debut album, European Folkscapes, earned ‘Album of the Week’ honors by WQXR in New York City, and Blurred Boundaries has been lauded as “truly lovely music played exceptionally well by an adventurous and gifted ensemble.” (Audiophile Audition)

Apollo reaches further into the community by partnering with schools, universities, at-risk youth centers, refugee and veterans service organizations, hospitals, airports, and public libraries, providing performances, educational programs, and entrepreneurship lectures that impact a wider, underserved audience.

Vision
to create cultural harmony through musical exploration

We are:

Bold

Multicultural

Innovative

Collaborative

Inclusive

Apollo Aims to:
Engage the global community of Houston with music inspired by specific cultural/ethnic/indigenous traditions.
Foster cultural awareness and broaden – in numbers and diversity – a global audience of chamber and classical music lovers.
Create new music through original arrangements and commissioning projects; provide context for Western classical works through these arrangements/commissions, inspired by cultural and/or folkloric elements.
Incorporate programs and commissions in the curation of educational programs that will reach countless students and children of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds.
Highlight the synergy and connections between different art forms by collaborating with local, regional and national arts organizations.