Apollo’s Fire announces its 2022–23 season

Cleveland Heights-based Apollo's Fire embarks on its 31st season.

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Cleveland Heights-based baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire is gearing up for its 31st season under founding Artistic Director Jeannette Sorrell. The season comprises 26 subscription concerts, including seven in Cleveland Heights, and additional performances across Northeast Ohio. Apollo’s Fire is also planning robust education and outreach performances in the Heights. 

Highlights of the 2022–23 season include the return of Sorrell’s acclaimed version of Handel’s "Messiah"; a new program, “Exile,” focused on the music of displaced cultures; and a return of Monteverdi’s sumptuous "Vespers of 1610".

Both "Messiah" and "Vespers" have recently won national praise, with Apollo’s Fire’s CD version of "Vespers" recently being named one of “30 Must-Have Recordings of Our Lifetime” by BBC magazine. Sorrell brings her version of "Messiah" back to Northeast Ohio after conducting it with the New York Philharmonic in 2021. The New York Times said about the performance, “Wonderful vitality . . . It’s difficult for a Messiah performance to stand out, but this one did.” 

Performances in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights include: Monteverdi "Vespers" on Oct. 8 and 15 (at First Baptist), Storms & Tempests on Nov. 12 and 13 (at St. Paul’s Episcopal), Handel’s "Messiah" on Dec. 10 and 11 (First Baptist), Muse of Fire on Feb. 3 and 4 (St. Paul’s Episcopal), Exile: Music of the Jewish & African Diasporas on March 10 (St. Paul’s Episcopal), and A Return to Bach’s Coffeehouse on May 12 and 13 (St. Paul’s Episcopal). 

On Oct. 22, an Apollo’s Fire ensemble will perform an educational family concert at the Lee Road branch of Heights Libraries—“Sing for Joy!” The free concert, designed for children and families, features soprano Sonya Headlam in a program of joyful folk and baroque songs.

Apollo’s Fire’s popular Baroque Bistros—casual restaurant concerts—will also return in January, with Drive the Cold Winter Away planned for Bottlehouse Brewery.

Apollo’s Fire also performs workshops in elementary and middle schools throughout the year, with Canterbury Elementary among its recent partner schools. 

Founded in Cleveland Heights in 1992, Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra is dedicated to the baroque ideal that music should evoke the various Affekts, or passions, in listeners. Now a Grammy-winning orchestra, Apollo’s Fire has performed sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall, the BBC Proms, the Royal Theatre of Madrid, the Tanglewood Festival, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and more. A European tour is planned for spring 2023; for details, visit apollosfire.org/touring. 

Subscriptions and single tickets are available online at apollosfire.org, or by phone (216-320-0012, ext. 1). For more information on Apollo’s Fire programs and performances, visit apollosfire.org.