Classical Coffeehouse
featuring Apollo’s Fire

Presented in partnership with the Blue & White Society and the Penn State Alumni Association

Free and open to the public

Support provided by Penn State Council of LionHearts

Johann Sebastian Bach played concerts each week at a large coffeehouse in Leipzig, Germany. Zimmerman’s Coffeehouse hosted lively performances by Bach and his orchestra of university students. Members of Apollo’s Fire, led by Jeannette Sorrell, seek to evoke the spirit of Zimmerman’s. They perform Bach’s Allemande from the Sixth Cello Suite and tell stories about the composer’s scuffles with the authorities. The coffeehouse also includes music by Bach’s admired colleagues, Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel. The modern barrier between classical and folk music comes down when the musicians launch a jam session on the folk tune La Folia (Madness) by Vivaldi. Apollo’s Fire encourages coffeehouse attendees to bring their guitars. If you can play D, A, F, and C, they need you in the La Folia jam. Guitars should be tuned down a half-step (A = 415).

Enjoy complimentary refreshments and receive a Classical Coffeehouse mug, while supply lasts.

Each Penn State student in attendance receives—at the end of the coffeehouse—a voucher for a serving of Berkey Creamery ice cream.