Ringing with urgency in our time, this acclaimed program created by Jeannette Sorrell returns in a fresh version. Honoring the peoples whose music and faith brought such vibrancy to the Middle East, 26 artists from Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds perform on oud, theorbo, medieval harp, zither, strings, and exotic percussion.

In this musical tour of the four quarters of Old Jerusalem (Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Armenian), surprising cross-influences emerge. A Sephardic ballad leads to a classical Arabic love song; selections from Monteverdi’s great Vespers of 1610 echo the exotic and rapturous singing of the Jewish cantors in the temples. The rhythms of daily life – love, singing, dancing and prayer – culminate in a joyous celebration of shared humanity.

O Jerusalem! Crossroads of Three Faiths

The Bath Church, United Church of Christ

Congregation Mishkan Or (The Temple-Tifereth Israel)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Praised as “a sheer delight” (NEW YORK TIMES), Apollo’s Fire’s acclaimed Christmas program returns! Artistic Director Jeannette Sorrell weaves the extraordinary works of 17th-century composer Michael Praetorius into a Vespers service. The cathedral resounds in a splendor often reminiscent of Monteverdi – with antiphonal choirs, trumpets, sackbuts, cornettos, lutes, harp, strings and recorders. Familiar highlights include “Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming” and “In Dulci Jubilo.” Children’s voices shine in this haunting and joyous celebration of the Christ child.

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Praetorius CHRISTMAS VESPERS

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Akron

St. Raphael Catholic Church, Bay Village

Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland

First Baptist Church of Shaker Heights

1791: Against the backdrop of worldwide unrest and revolution, Mozart composed his masterful Requiem – as he lay dying. Struggles for democracy were unfolding around him, in France, Haiti, and the fledgling United States. As the 35-year-old Mozart raced to finish his Requiem, death overtook him. He laid bare his soul in a work that remained incomplete.

Mozart’s REQUIEM: A Tapestry

St. Bernard Catholic Church

Cleveland Institute of Music

Dido and Aeneas, the ancient Roman myth of love and betrayal, was recounted 2000 years ago in Virgil’s Aeneid – and still resonates today. The Trojan hero Aeneas lands on the shores of Carthage, where the beautiful and proud Queen Dido reigns. Just after winning her love, Aeneas suddenly departs – summoned by the gods. Was it destiny or betrayal? No composer has evoked this question with more poignancy than Henry Purcell, whose renowned 17th-century opera Dido & Aeneas is a gem of the baroque repertoire. The program includes sparkling instrumental dances from Purcell’s King Arthur and The Fairy-Queen.

Apollo’s Singers

9 - 11 Apr, 2026

O Jerusalem! Crossroads of Three Faiths

12 - 21 Dec, 2025

Praetorius CHRISTMAS VESPERS

Apollo’s Singers