Apollo Chamber Players
Apollo Chamber Players “performs with rhythmic flair and virtuosity” (The Strad) and has “found fruitful territory” (Houston Chronicle) in its hometown of Houston, TX and around the world through innovative, globally-focused programming and multicultural new music commissions. 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. Over the past decade the ensemble has presented over 500 concerts and educational programs, commissioned 20 new works and released 3 critically-acclaimed albums, reaching audiences of 25,000 (live) and 10 million (broadcast) annually.
Apollo is a passionate advocate of contemporary music, and its vanguard 20×2020 commissioning project features a roster of the world’s leading composers, including Grammy-winners Libby Larsen and Christopher Theofanidis. The group has collaborated with many of the world’s premiere artists, including Grammy/Emmy winner and Academy Award contributor Vanessa Vo, James Dunham, Timothy Pitts, 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.
