Apollo Chamber Players And Actor George Takei Honored With City of Houston Proclamations

Following their star-studded LIBERTY program on Saturday, October 5, 2024, the Houston-based Apollo Chamber Players and legendary actor George Takei were honored with City of Houston Proclamations, among other accolades for their program highlighting both the triumphs and failures of the American Experiment.

Timed for the run-up to the 2024 Presidential Election, LIBERTY featured Takei in a powerful live narration of the time he spent with his family in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II, set to the world premiere of a new work, The Book of Names, by Texas A&M faculty composer Marty Regan. The program also brought world premieres by Afghan-born composer Homayoun Sakhi and by five-time GRAMMY-winner John Corigliano, whose piece One Sweet Morning, featuring countertenor John Holiday, reflects a post-9/11 aspiration for a time of peace and freedom. U.S. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, who represents Texas's 7th District including the city of Houston, wrote a letter recognizing the program that was read by Apollo Founder and violinist Matthew Detrick from the stage of Houston's Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, where the program was held. LIBERTY was the first of four programs in Apollo's We the People series, an extended celebration and critique of American democracy.

In her letter, Fletcher offered praise for both Apollo and Takei, writing that the famed actor and activist "used his voice at this critical moment in our nation's history to remind us of our history and one of our most difficult and painful chapters, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, including his own family. At the same time, he has demonstrated his deep patriotism and his belief in the United States and its people and our capacity to learn from the past and build a brighter future.

"I am grateful to the Apollo Chamber Players for bringing his story to the We the People program and for the program itself and its artistic effort to bring enlightened inspiration of the Founding Fathers meaningfully into the 21st century, to expand on those ideals, and to help build a more perfect union through connection and community. ... This night reminds us beautifully and meaningfully that together, through understanding and connection, we can learn from our history, commit to the liberty and equality of all Americans, and continue the work of building a more perfect Union."

At the conclusion of the LIBERTY program, Detrick joined George Takei and his partner, Brad Takei, for a conversation on the value of liberty and the preservation of democracy that makes our freedoms possible. Following the talk, the performers were presented with City of Houston Proclamations by Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Councilmember Willie Davis.

"Working with George Takei was a singular experience, one which we will cherish for a lifetime," Detrick commented. "His collaborative artistry was integral as we brought to life a new musical work so vital in storytelling and human connection. George's compelling words and timeless wisdom will continue to live on, inspiring new generations of artists, activists and Americans of all stripes to form a more perfect Union."

While in town for the live program, Takei joined Apollo artists for interviews with Houston Life, Houston Public Media and the Houston Chronicle, which described LIBERTY as an example of "the power of music to inspire," going on to state that: "As the nation faces such topics as the economy, foreign policy and elected leadership, Apollo too is turning up the dial in the way we have approached landmark moments in history and music's role in creating a snapshot that documents the spirit of a nation."

On the day of the live program, and in sessions afterward, performances by Apollo, Takei and Holiday were recorded for a future album release.

Singled out by NPR as "a young, dynamic ensemble... creating programs in response to current events," Apollo has curated its We the People programs around the U.S. Constitution's promise to "secure the blessings of liberty" for the nation's citizens, while also shining a light on those times when the reality has fallen tragically short. The ensemble partnered with Takei - with support from the Japan-America Society of Houston - to recount one of America's darkest chapters, though with a spirit of hope that the nation can grow ever closer to fulfilling its ideals. A working actor for nearly 70 years, Takei became a household name in his role as Mr. Sulu in the original Star Trek. He has gone on to take an active role in politics, authoring several books including two titles on his family's time in the internment camp: They Called Us the Enemy, and My Lost Freedom, a children's book. In preparation for his role in LIBERTY, Takei recalled his family's challenge in rebuilding their lives after the war, and how it informed their views of America and its democratic system. "Through it all, my parents never lost their moral compass, and continued to raise us by example and with dignity," he said. "Our parents had lived through the darkest breakdown of our democracy, and yet our father taught us the significance of participation in a participatory democracy."

Apollo's We the People series continues with OPPORTUNITY (January 4, 2025 at MATCH in Midtown), DIVERSITY (March 21, 2025 at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts) and FREEDOM (May 10, 2025 at Holocaust Museum Houston). Through its four themed concerts, the series illuminates key facets of the American system and character, drawing on sources from the poetry of Walt Whitman to the story of Rosa Parks to works from Israeli and Palestinian culture.

"The consciousness of the country comes alive during tumultuous times," said Detrick. "In an election year of singular consequence, our programming reflects democracy as an idea worth championing."

The season follows on the heels of Apollo's seventh album, Trace of Time, released August 23, 2024 on Azica Records. Like the quartet's season of live programming, the album is a celebration of community and heritage, and the universality of the passage of time. Featuring newly commissioned works by Hector Del Curto and Adolphus Hailstork, the recording brings together cultural stories embedded in genres from the Argentinian Tango to the African-American spiritual.

Apollo Chamber Players Season 17: We the People
Info: https://www.apollochamberplayers.org/artemis-series-2425.html
Subscriptions: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/XDJQSXZKN9SZW/checkout/VBLG5UJNIFEJ4GHB675BMY7B

Concert 1: LIBERTY
Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts | Houston, TX
Link: apollocp.org/LibertyHobbyCenter

Program:
John Corigliano - One Sweet Morning for string quintet and voice [World Premiere, Apollo Commission]
Homayoun Sakhi - New work inspired by themes of liberty and justice [World Premiere, Apollo Commission]
Marty Regan - The Book of Names with narration by George Takei [World Premiere, Apollo Commission]

Performers/Guests:
Apollo Chamber Players
George Takei, actor, author & activist
John Corigliano, composer
John Holiday, countertenor
Marty Regan, composer

Concert 2: OPPORTUNITY
Saturday, January 4, 2024 at 7:30pm
MATCH in Midtown | Houston, TX

Program:
Britten - String Quartet No. 2
Erberk Eryilmaz - Thracian Airs of Besime Sultan
Miklós Rózsa - Sonata for two violins
Leo Brouwer - Nostalgia de los Montañas*
Ernesto Lecuona - Canto Siboney
*choreography by Mónica Gómez and Estheysis Menendez

Performers/Guests:
Apollo Chamber Players
Mónica Gómez, Estheysis Menendez, Allison Whitley and Gian Carlo Perez, dancers (Houston Ballet)
Jesús Pacheco, percussion

Concert 3: DIVERSITY
Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 7:00pm
Visual and Performing Arts Center, Lone Star College | Houston, TX

Friday, March 21, 2024 at 7:00pm
Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts | Houston, TX

Program:
Reza Vali - Bandari [World Premiere, Apollo Commission]
Muyassar Kurdi - Lullaby for the Children of the Sun
Gilad Cohen - Three Goat Blues
Daniel Bernard Roumain - String Quartet No. 5 "Rosa Parks"

Performers/Guests:
Apollo Chamber Players
Reza Vali, composer
Pejman Hadadi, percussion

CONCERT 4: FREEDOM
Saturday, May 10, 2024 at 7:00pm
Holocaust Museum Houston | Houston, TX

Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 2:00pm
Unity Houston | Houston, TX

Program:
Howard Hanson/Walt Whitman (Arr. Mark Buller) - Song of Democracy [World Premiere Arrangement]
Marcus Maroney - "What does Democracy Mean to You?" [World Premiere, Apollo Commission]
Works by International Commissioning Contest winners [World Premieres]
Ukrainian, Polish and Greek Folk Song set

Performers/Guests:
Apollo Chamber Players
Marcus Maroney, composer (UH Moores School of Music)
Mark Buller, composer
HSPVA choir

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