our story
Houston-based APOLLO CHAMBER PLAYERS “performs with rhythmic flair and virtuosity” (The Strad) and “recasts music for a diverse and multi-ethnic generation” (Strings Magazine) through globally-inspired programming and multicultural new music commissions. Recipient of Chamber Music America’s prestigious Residency Partnership award, the ensemble has performed for sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and it is featured frequently on American Public Media’s nationally-syndicated program Performance Today.
In March 2024, Apollo’s censorship-inspired programming rose to national prominence as the featured story on NPR’s Weekend Edition, with cultural reporter Neda Ulaby lauding Apollo as a “young, dynamic ensemble...creating programs in response to current events.” (apollocp.org/NPR)
Released on the Grammy-winning label Azica Records, Apollo's With Malice Toward None album reached No. 1 on Amazon’s Hot New Release chart, and the ensemble’s catalog of records has been featured on hundreds of radio and media stations worldwide. The organization’s debut feature film, MoonShot: The Remarkable Journey of Apollo Chamber Players, won international accolades, including Best Documentary and Best Documentary Soundtrack at the Seattle, Vancouver, Houston and Screen ATX International film festivals. It is now available on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
A passionate advocate of contemporary music, underrepresented composers, and music reflecting the times in which we live, Apollo counts an expanding catalogue of over 50 commissioned works. As part of its commissioning endeavors, the ensemble concluded a bold initiative to commission 20 new multicultural works by the end of the last decade. 20x2020 features a diverse roster of the world’s leading composers and instrumentalists including Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Pamela Z, Leo Brouwer, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, Vanessa Võ, and Tracy Silverman.
Apollo’s community partners include schools and universities, at-risk youth centers, refugee and veterans service organizations, and public libraries. The ensemble’s vanguard Library Voyage project, an initiative to perform in all Harris County/Houston Public Libraries, is the first of its kind in the nation. Apollo was founded in 2008 by violinist and music entrepreneur Matthew J. Detrick and violinist Timothy Peters.
In March 2024, Apollo’s censorship-inspired programming rose to national prominence as the featured story on NPR’s Weekend Edition, with cultural reporter Neda Ulaby lauding Apollo as a “young, dynamic ensemble...creating programs in response to current events.” (apollocp.org/NPR)
Released on the Grammy-winning label Azica Records, Apollo's With Malice Toward None album reached No. 1 on Amazon’s Hot New Release chart, and the ensemble’s catalog of records has been featured on hundreds of radio and media stations worldwide. The organization’s debut feature film, MoonShot: The Remarkable Journey of Apollo Chamber Players, won international accolades, including Best Documentary and Best Documentary Soundtrack at the Seattle, Vancouver, Houston and Screen ATX International film festivals. It is now available on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
A passionate advocate of contemporary music, underrepresented composers, and music reflecting the times in which we live, Apollo counts an expanding catalogue of over 50 commissioned works. As part of its commissioning endeavors, the ensemble concluded a bold initiative to commission 20 new multicultural works by the end of the last decade. 20x2020 features a diverse roster of the world’s leading composers and instrumentalists including Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Pamela Z, Leo Brouwer, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, Vanessa Võ, and Tracy Silverman.
Apollo’s community partners include schools and universities, at-risk youth centers, refugee and veterans service organizations, and public libraries. The ensemble’s vanguard Library Voyage project, an initiative to perform in all Harris County/Houston Public Libraries, is the first of its kind in the nation. Apollo was founded in 2008 by violinist and music entrepreneur Matthew J. Detrick and violinist Timothy Peters.
...taking one bold step after another...
- ARTS + CULTURE TEXAS
mission
to connect communities and cultures through
globally inspired music
vision |
values |
|
to create cultural harmony through musical exploration
APOLLO AIMS TO: ▫️ Engage the global community of Houston with music inspired by specific cultural/ethnic/indigenous traditions. ▫️ Foster cultural awareness and broaden – in numbers and diversity – a global audience of chamber and classical music lovers. ▫️ Create new music through original arrangements and commissioning projects; provide context for Western classical works through these arrangements & commissions, inspired by cultural and/or folkloric elements. ▫️ Incorporate programs and commissions in the curation of educational programs that will reach countless students and children of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. ▫️ Highlight the synergy and connections between different art forms by collaborating with local, regional and national arts organizations |
We are:
▫️ Bold ▫️Multicultural ▫️ Innovative ▫️ Collaborative ▫️ Inclusive |
