Apollo's Fire, The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra with mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore

Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Wait Chapel

Taking its name from the classical god of music and the sun, Apollo's Fire is dedicated to the performance of 17th- and 18th-century music on the period instruments for which it was written. Founded in 1992 by Jeannette Sorrell, this ensemble of early music specialists from North America and Europe has received international critical acclaim for its recordings and stunningly eloquent performances. Described as "a blend of scholarship and visceral intensity" by Gramophone, Apollo's Fire is frequently broadcast on NPR and can also be heard on Britain's BBC, Canada's CBC, and European Community Radio. Ms. Sorrell is a WFU graduate, class of 1986, and was a Reynolds Scholar. She furthered her music studies at the Tanglewood Music Festival under Roger Norrington and Leonard Bernstein, the Aspen Music Festival and Oberlin College.

Jennifer Larmore's 1986 French debut as "Sesto" in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito heralded a career that has grown to include Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, just to name a few on the ever growing list. Considered to be one of the foremost interpreters of Rossini, this American mezzo has appeared in every major opera city in the world. She has recorded widely for the Teldec, RCA, Harmonia Mundi, Deutsch Grammophon, Arabesque, Opera Rara, Bayer, Naive, Chandos, VAI and Cedille labels in over seventy CDs to date, which has earned her the distinction of being the most recorded mezzo of all time. Her appearance at the closing ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, singing the Olympic Hymn, was viewed by millions around the world.

Teresa Radomski, Professor of Voice and Consultant for the Center for Voice Disorders at Wake Forest University, will give the Secrest Signature pre-concert talk.

Performance program

• The program will include selections from Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, and Rameau.

More information about Apollo's Fire:
» www.apollosfire.org

More information about Jennifer Larmore:
» www.jenniferlarmoremezzo.com

SELECTED VIDEO CLIPS

Jennifer Larmore: "Cruda sorte! Amor tiranno!" from L'italiana in Algeri
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