Apollo Chamber Players to Present OPPORTUNITY, Part Of 'We The People' Series

The Houston-based Apollo Chamber Players, joined by percussionist Jesús Pacheco and dancers from the Houston Ballet, will present a new original program, OPPORTUNITY, on Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 7:30pm at Houston's MATCH in Midtown. Crafted in celebration of the United States as a beacon of creative opportunity, this concert is the second in Apollo's four-part We the People series, an extended focus on American democracy in both its ideals and imperfections. The first installment, LIBERTY, was held October 5, 2024, featuring actor George Takei in a key role and drawing acclaim from critics, audiences and political leaders in Texas.

As the series continues with OPPORTUNITY, Apollo highlights composers drawn to the United States as a bastion of creative freedom, leaving the nation more diverse and beautiful. From UK-born Benjamin Britten - who traveled to North America to find refuge as a pacifist as World War II raged in Europe - Apollo performs the composer's String Quartet No. 2. Among its other selections, Apollo also features Sonata for two violins by Hungarian-Jewish composer Miklós Rózsa, who also left for the United States during the Second World War. The program also features works by two Cuban-born composers: Nostalgia de los Montañas, a 2018 Apollo-commissioned piece by Leo Brouwer, and Canto Siboney by Ernesto Lecuona, who left the island following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Turkish-American composer Erberk Eryilmaz's Unsung Folksongs, which reflects the Bulgarian government's censorship of Turkish music and culture during the Cold War, completes the program. Jesús Pacheco is featured on percussion for Unsung Folksongs while four Cuban-born dancers from the Houston Ballet perform in tandem with Brouwer's work Nostalgia de las Montañas and Lecuona's work Canto Siboney, with choreography by two of the dancers: Houston Ballet stars Mónica Gómez and Estheysis Menendez.

Celebrated by NPR as "a young, dynamic ensemble... creating programs in response to current events," Apollo Chamber Players has drawn broad acclaim for its incisive thematic programming. On Monday, November 25, 2024, Chamber Music America named the quartet as the recipient of its Ensemble / Ensemble Project of the Year Award, based on Apollo's 2023-2024 theme of Silenced Voices, a series curated to shed light on censorship and oppression - whether through racial prejudice, authoritarian government or other forces - as well as its We the People series this season. Apollo will be formally recognized at an awards luncheon on February 15, 2025 in Houston.

Following the OPPORTUNITY program in January, We the People continues with its two final programs: DIVERSITY (March 21, 2025 at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts) and FREEDOM (May 10, 2025 at Holocaust Museum Houston). Timed to reflect on the 2024 presidential election, the four themed concerts illuminate 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.

Apollo Chamber Players Season 17: We the People

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

Program:
Britten - String Quartet No. 2
Erberk Eryilmaz - Unsung Folksongs
Miklós Rózsa - Sonata for two violins
Leo Brouwer - String Quartet No. 6: 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 7:30pm
Visual and Performing Arts Center, Lone Star College | Houston, TX

Friday, March 21, 2024 at 7:30pm
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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