Apollo’s Fire delivers sounds of Tuscany in free concert streaming through Oct. 15

Apollo’s Fire, a favorite Baroque music ensemble at the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, will make its debut virtual appearance with the center in “Tuscan Sun—Rustic Music from Baroque Italy.” The free one-hour performance will be preceded by a 20-minute pre-concert conversation with Jeannette Sorrell, artistic director of Apollo’s Fire, hosted by Marica Tacconi, professor of musicology and associate director at the Penn State School of Music.

The concert will be available for streaming online through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. 

Contributions from the members of the Center for the Performing Arts and a grant from the University Park Student Fee Board help make the program free of charge. The program is part of the center’s “Up Close and Virtual” fall season.

“We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Jeannette Sorrell and the superb musicians of Apollo’s Fire through this presentation,” Tacconi said.

“Tuscan Sun” evokes a summer evening in old Italy. Love songs by Girolamo Frescobaldi meet traditional street tunes by Gaspar Sanz and Diego Ortiz in this exuberant music party featuring six artists. The concert was recorded outside at an Ohio vineyard in August.

“At a time when travel is so restricted, this lively music by Italian and Spanish Baroque composers is sure to uplift us and transport us to the sunny fields of Tuscany and beyond,” Tacconi said.

Visit “Tuscan Sun” for program details and viewing information. 

Named for the classical god of music and the sun, Apollo’s Fire, founded by Sorrell and based in Cleveland, revived the Baroque ideal that music should evoke listeners’ emotions. The ensemble is a collection of artists who share Sorrell’s passion for drama and rhetoric. The ensemble has performed at Penn State’s Schwab Auditorium six times.

“Led by a brilliant harpsichordist … the ensemble exudes stylish energy — a blend of scholarship and visceral intensity,” wrote a critic for Gramophone. London’s The Independent praised Apollo’s Fire as “one of the pre-eminent period-instrument ensembles.” Classical Music Magazine called the group “the U.S.A.’s hottest Baroque band.”

Geisinger is the season sponsor for virtual presentations by the Center for the Performing Arts.

The Center for the Performing Arts has partnered with Apollo’s Fire to offer a discount on selected upcoming watch-from-home concerts. Patrons can save 40 percent on tickets with code PSU40. Go to Apollo's Fire discount for details.