Apollo's Fire Celebrates Bach's Birthday with FAMILY FROLIC Concert Series, Beginning Tonight

Apollo's Fire reprises its popular "Fireside" series - intimate 90-minute concerts followed by coffee, hot cider and conversation with the artists. In a tribute to Bach's 330th Birthday, this intimate concert tells the musical story of a day at the Bach Family Household and features AF veteran musicians alongside Young Artist Apprentices in a true multi-generational tribute to Bach.

Music Director Jeannette Sorrell, who designed the program, said, "I wanted to give some of our Young Artists a chance to shine in a more "theatrical" vein. Bach had 10 children at home, so it was impossible for him to separate his "music" and "family" life. The focus of our "Fireside" concerts is to break down the artificial barrier between the musicians and the audience. This year, we attempt to take it a step further - to demonstrate that an extraordinary musician whose work has thrived for over 330 years, was also an ordinary man - one who struggled with a busy family life, marrying off his rebellious, but favorite daughter, and the "perils" of coffee entering his neighborhood!"

The program centers around soprano Madeline Apple Healey, an AF Young Artist Apprentice recently praised for her "gorgeous singing" (WASHINGTON POST) at her Kennedy Center debut. In a semi-staged performance of Bach's zany COFFEE CANTATA, Healey takes on the role of the rebellious teenage girl, Lieschen - determined to drink coffee and equally determined to get Papa to find her a husband. Apollo's Fire regular guest artist, baritone Jeffrey Strauss, returns to the stage as Lieschen's embattled Papa. Young Artist Apprentice Corey Shotwell, tenor, plays the overworked owner of the Leipzig coffeehouse where this drama plays out.

AF performs the Coffee Cantata in Sorrell's hip, English translation. Sorrell explained her concept of this piece: "We know from Bach family documents that 'Lieschen' was the nickname of one his daughters. And she was the only of his daughters who got married. Bach indicated 'Lieschen' next to the soprano line of the Coffee Cantata. I've never seen any musicologists take note of this connection, but it seems clear to me that the role of 'Lieschen' was meant for his daughter. In the cantata, Lieschen keeps pestering her father to find her a husband. With an enormous church job and huge performing and composing responsibilities, Bach apparently didn't have time to find husbands for most of his daughters. But he found one for Lieschen, because she wouldn't give up. So I think the Coffee Cantata gives us a charming window into one of the important family dramas in the Bach household."

Also featured are Young Artist Apprentices Cynthia Black (violin), Augusta McKay-Lodge (violin), and Sarah Lynn (traverso) performing alongside AF favorite musicians Kathie Lynn, Karina Schmitz (viola) and René Schiffer (cello). Select biographies are found at the end of this release.

Musically, the program samples everything "Bach" from Papa Bach's Harpsichord Sonata in D minor performed by Jeannette Sorrell to the flute quartet by Bach's Mozart-like son, Johann Christian. After intermission, the concert hall is transformed into an 18th-century coffeehouse, as the performers bring Bach's Coffee Cantata to life. The whole "Bach family" cast of musicians and Young Artists will mingle with the audience for coffee and conversation following a curtain call - continuing the Bach Birthday celebration in true "coffee-house" fashion.

The "Fireside" Concerts are cozy 90-minute programs followed by Coffee & Conversation with the Artists. In addition to the opportunity to mingle with performers after the concert, a pre-concert talk will be given by flutist Kathie Stewart one hour prior to each event.

Tickets range from $21-$68 with special rates for students, seniors, and young adults (under 30). Single tickets are available for purchase online at HYPERLINK "http://www.apollosfire.org" www.apollosfire.org and by phone at (216) 320-0012 or (800) 314-2535. In the Akron location, student tickets are free, underwritten by the GAR Foundation.

Local Performances:

TONIGHT, Jan. 22, 7:30 PM* Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music 11021 East Blvd.

Friday, Jan. 23, 8:00 PM First United Methodist Church, AKRON 263 East Mill St.

Saturday, Jan. 24, 8:00 PM St. Paul's Episcopal Church, CLEVELAND HTS. 2747 Fairmount Blvd.

Sunday, Jan. 25, 4:00 PM ROCKY RIVER Presbyterian Church 21750 Detroit Rd.

*Please RSVP for the coffee reception at CIM.

These performances are lovingly dedicated to the memory of Shattuck W. Hartwell, Jr., M.D., through the support of the Alton F. and Carrie S Davis Fund.

Select Biographies:

Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra is named for the classical god of music and the sun and was founded in 1992 by the award- winning young harpsichordist and conductor HYPERLINK "http://www.apollosfire.org/aboutus/js.html" Jeannette Sorrell. Sorrell envisioned an ensemble dedicated to the baroque ideal that music should evoke the various Affekts or passions in the listeners. Apollo's Fire is a collection of creative artists who share Sorrell's passion for drama and rhetoric.

Hailed as "one of the pre-eminent period-instrument ensembles" (THE INDEPENDENT, London), Apollo's Fire made its London debut in 2010 in a sold-out concert at Wigmore Hall, with a BBC broadcast. Apollo's Fire returned to Europe in autumn 2011 and spring 2014, and has been met with standing ovations in Madrid (Royal Theatre), Bordeaux (Grand Théàtre de l'Opéra), Lisbon, Metz (FR), Birmingham (UK) and Bregenz (Austria). AF's return to London in 2014 was praised as "an evening of superlative music-making... the group combines European stylishness with American entrepreneurialism" (THE TELEGRAPH, UK).

Apollo's Fire has also toured throughout North America, appearing at the Aspen Music Festival, the Boston Early Music Festival series, the Library of Congress, the Tropical Baroque Festival in Miami, the Ojai International Festival in California, and major venues in Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The ensemble performed an 11-concert tour of the Monteverdi Vespers in 2010 and again in 2014, and a 9-concert tour of the Brandenburg Concertos in 2013 - all with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts. Apollo's Fire is currently signed to Columbia Artists Management (CAMI) for exclusive representation in North and South America, and is managed in Europe by Intermusica (London).

At home in Cleveland, Apollo's Fire enjoys sold-out performances at its subscription series, which has drawn national attention for creative programming. Apollo's Fire has released HYPERLINK "http://www.apollosfire.org/cds/cds.html" 20 commercial CD's, and currently records for the British label AVIE. Since the ensemble's introduction into the European CD market in 2010, the recordings have won rave reviews in the London press: "a swaggering version, brilliantly played" (THE TIMES) and "the Midwest's best-kept musical secret is finally reaching British ears" (THE INDEPENDENT). Four of the ensemble's CD releases have become best-sellers on the classical BILLBOARD chart: the Monteverdi Vespers, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, and Jeannette Sorrell's two crossover programs, "Come to the River" and "Sacrum Mysterium: A Celtic Christmas Vespers."

Jeannette Sorrell, music director/harpsichord, has quickly gained international attention as a leading creative voice among the new generation of early-music conductors. She has been credited by the U.K.'s BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE for forging "a vibrant, life-affirming approach to the re-making of early music... a seductive vision of musical authenticity."

Sorrell was one of the youngest students ever accepted to the prestigious conducting courses of the Aspen and the Tanglewood music festivals. She studied conducting under Robert Spano, Roger Norrington and Leonard Bernstein, and harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam. She won both First Prize and the Audience Choice Award in the 1991 Spivey International Harpsichord Competition, competing against over 70 harpsichordists from Europe, Israel, the U.S., and the Soviet Union.

Sorrell founded Apollo's Fire in 1992. Since then, she and the ensemble have built one of the largest audiences of any baroque orchestra in North America. She has led AF in sold-out concerts at London's Wigmore Hall, Madrid's Royal Theatre (Teatro Real), the Grand Théâtre de l'Opéra in Bordeaux, Boston's Early Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival, among others.

Sorrell made her debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony in 2013 as conductor and soloist in the complete Brandenburg Concertos. With standing ovations every night, the event was hailed as "an especially joyous occasion" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW). She has also appeared as conductor or conductor/soloist with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis with the St. Louis Symphony, Handel & Haydn Society (Boston), the Omaha Symphony, and the Grand Rapids Symphony, and has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra as guest keyboard artist. Upcoming engagements include a debut with New World Symphony in Miami and a return engagement with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Sorrell and Apollo's Fire have released 20 commercial CDs, of which four have been bestsellers on the BILLBOARD classical chart. Her recordings include the complete Brandenburg Concertos and harpsichord concertos of Bach (with Sorrell as harpsichord soloist and director), which was praised by the LONDON TIMES as "a swaggering version... brilliantly played by Sorrell." She has also released four discs of Mozart, and was hailed as "a near-perfect Mozartian" by Fanfare Record Magazine. Other recordings include Handel's Messiah, the Monteverdi Vespers and two creative crossover projects: "Come to the River: An Early American Gathering" and "Sacrum Mysterium: A Celtic Christmas Vespers."

Sorrell has attracted national attention and awards for creative programming. She holds an honorary doctorate from Case Western University, two special awards from the National Endowment for the Arts for her work on early American music, and an award from the American Musicological Society. Passionate about guiding the next generation of performers, Ms. Sorrell has led many baroque projects for students at Oberlin Conservatory.

Soloists:

*Madeline Apple Healey, soprano, has been praised for her "gorgeous singing" (WASHINGTON POST) and "crystal clear coloratura" (PRINCETON TOWN TOPICS). Her 2014-2015 season includes Bach's Mass in B Minor and Bernstein's MASS with Choral Arts Society of Washington, Lang's Little Match Girl Passion with AMPERSAND in New York , and appearances with Apollo's Fire , The Thirteen, and Akron Baroque . She has recently been seen in Toshio Hosakawa's Matsukaze at the Spoleto USA and Lincoln Center Festivals, and as Olympia in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann with Westminster Opera Theater. Madeline has sung with Apollo's Fire since 2005, when she was chosen by Jeannette Sorrell as treble soloist for the premiere concerts and CD recording of Praetorius Christmas Vespers. She holds degrees in voice from Westminster Choir College and Baldwin Wallace University, and has recorded on the NAXOS, KOCH, and AVIE labels.

Madeline grew up in Hunting Valley, across the road from Apollo's Fire's Baroque Music Barn. One of her earliest musical adventures, when she was about 9, was when she heard music coming from the Barn across the road, and dragged her mother with to find out what was up. They discovered an Apollo's Fire rehearsal in progress, and Madeline fell in love with the sounds. Madeline resides in Cleveland, where, when she's not making music, she can be found making coffee... at Phoenix Coffee Bar in Ohio City.

Jeffrey Strauss, baritone, an "authoritative artist" (PLAIN DEALER) whose performances have been praised as "captivating" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE) and "serenely beautiful" (NEW YORK TIMES, has appeared with period-instrument ensembles including The Consort of Musicke with Emma Kirkby, the Taverner Consort under Andrew Parrott, Tafelmusik, Apollo's Fire, the Handel & Haydn Society (Boston), the Newberry Consort (Chicago), Seattle Baroque, and Tempesta di Mare (Philadelphia). He made his professional debut at the age of 17 with the Buffalo Philharmonic and studied voice in Paris with Gérard Souzay. An accomplished stage actor, his favorite projects have included the title role in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, praised as "deeply moving" (PLAIN DEALER), Jesus in the Bach Passions, Méphistophélès in Berlioz' Damnation of Faust, and Apollo in Handel's Apollo e Dafne. His recent portrayal of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof was hailed by the BUFFALO NEWS as "masterful." Mr. Strauss's longstanding commitment to contemporary music includes many appearances with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, as well as performing Ned Rorem's song cycle Aftermath, a jazz-inspired oratorio with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, and premieres of works by Bernstein, Babbitt, Shapey, and Cipullo. His CD recordings with Apollo's Fire include the Monteverdi Vespers and Handel's Messiah.

Young Artist Instrumentalists:

*Cynthia Black, violin, has appeared as a member of Apollo's Fire's viola section in several subscription and family concerts. Her 2014-15 season includes a solo appearance with the American Bach Soloists, as well as engagements with Quicksilver, Les Délices, Apollo's Fire, Washington Bach Consort, Chatham Baroque, and Three Notch'd Road Baroque. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio and is a doctoral student at CWRU studying baroque violin and viola with Dr. Julie Andrijeski. At CWRU, she performs on the Medieval vielle as part of the Collegium under Dr. Debra Nagy's direction and plays violin and viola in various Renaissance and Baroque ensembles. She also holds modern viola degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music having studied with Robert Vernon and Lynne Ramsey.

Augusta McKay Lodge, violin, is an alumna of the Oberlin Conservatory and currently studies at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. She began her violin studies at the age of 3 and continued at the Moscow Central Special Music School. She has recently performed at the Kennedy Center, as assistant concertmaster of the Netherlands Student Orchestra on their European tour, with members of Tafelmusik, and as a finalist of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra Concerto Competition. She has also been invited to play with British violinist Elisabeth Wallfish's young artist training orchestra, the "Wallfisch Band" in London. Augusta began working with Sorrell and AF as a member of the AF Musettes Ensemble in 2005. She performed solo roles with AF in the Praetorius Christmas Vespers and Purcell's Dido & Aeneas. After these experiences, she decided to take up baroque violin, which she studied at Oberlin. She made her debut an apprentice member of the AF violin section in 2013.

Sarah Lynn, flute, is in her second year at the Oberlin Conservatory, and has performed as a soloist with the Maple City Chamber Orchestra, the Medici Ensemble, and the Oberlin Baroque Orchestra. She also sings with Collegium Musicum Oberliniense, and was soloist in the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute's 40th anniversary recording of Bach's Saint Matthew Passion. She was also a Musette for Apollo's Fire's Praetorius Christmas Vespers, and appears on the Allen Memorial Art Museum/Oberlin Collegium collaborative recording of early liturgical chants. In keeping with her passion for the Coffee Cantata, Sarah is also a barista at The Slow Train Cafe in Oberlin.

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