Moonstrike Apollo Chamber Players

• Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962): In the Shadow of the Mountain:
• 1Higdon: In the Shadow of the Mountain16:05
• Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate (b. 1968): Moonstrike:
• 2Tate: Moonstrike: Corn Dance01:10
• Moonstrike:
• 3Moonstrike: Prologue00:30
• Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate: Moonstrike:
• 4Tate: Moonstrike: I. Origin of the Moon06:38
• 5Tate: Moonstrike: II. The Man Who Married the Moon10:09
• 6Tate: Moonstrike: III. Raven Steals the Moon07:43
• Moonstrike:
• 7Moonstrike: Epilogue00:14
• Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate: Moonstrike:
• 8Tate: Moonstrike: Corn Dance (Reprise)01:18
• Pierre Jalbert (1925 - 2014): L'esprit du nord:
• 9Jalbert: L'esprit du nord: I. Chanson de Lisette04:59
• 10Jalbert: L'esprit du nord: II. Cantique07:14
• 11Jalbert: L'esprit du nord: III. Fiddle Dance03:38
• Total Runtime59:38

Info for Moonstrike

"MoonStrike" is the ensemble’s sixth studio album following its critically acclaimed With Malice Toward None in 2021. MoonStrike is a universal celebration of storytelling, space, and folk song, realized through new works by Jennifer Higdon, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, and Pierre Jalbert. Tate’s title work, MoonStrike, is narrated by Chickasaw astronaut John Herrington, the first American Indian citizen to fly in space. All three works were commissioned by Apollo Chamber Players as part of its 20×2020 project, launched in 2014 with a mission to commission 20 new multicultural works before the end of the last decade. The New York premiere of MoonStrike will take place on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s In the Shadow of the Mountain (2020) is inspired by her upbringing in the Great Smoky Mountains and incorporates the sounds and colors of the region. Higdon shares, “The resonance of that area led me to choose, for my first opera, Charles Frazier’s novel Cold Mountain. The struggles of survival in Appalachia, the majesty of its natural features, and the sonorities of the mountain’s music, color the quilt of that opera and of this string quartet.”

Next is the title work, MoonStrike (2019), by Chickasaw composer and U.S. Cultural Ambassador, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. The work honors the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing through American Indian moon legends as narrated by Chickasaw astronaut John Herrington. Tate explains, “American Indian legends are very colorful and have a tendency to take twists and turns within the narrative. Regarding the Moon, it is very consistent that the traditional tales involve trickster characters and competitions for ownership of this precious object.” MoonStrike features three diverse American Indian legends, and is bookended with an arrangement of a Calusa Corn Dance. MoonStrike also draws inspiration from Apollo Founder Matthew J. Detrick’s love of space and childhood dream to become the first person to play the violin in space.

Rome Prize-winning composer Pierre Jalbert’s L’esprit du Nord “Spirit of the North” (2019) is a three-movement work that fuses three French-Canadian folk songs with his unique, contemporary musical language. The first movement, “Chanson de Lisette,” is a playful theme and variations, while the second movement, “Cantique (Canticle),” contains two religious folk tunes: a Passion and a tune entitled “Les Pélerins.” The third and final movement, “Fiddle Dance,” was inspired by French-Canadian fiddling traditions.

Former NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy officer John Herrington, of Chickasaw heritage, is the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to fly in space. He traveled to the International Space Station in the space shuttle STS-113 Endeavor, launched on November 23, 2002, and his accolades include induction into the Chickasaw Nation and Oklahoma Aviation and Space Halls of Fame.

Apollo Chamber Players:
Matthew J. Detrick, violin I
Anabel Ramirez Detrick, violin II
Whitney Bullock, viola
Matthew Dudzik, cello
John Herrington, narrator

Apollo Chamber Players
Apollo’s “performances have rhythmic flair and doses of virtuosity” (The Strad), and the ensemble has “found fruitful territory” (Houston Chronicle) in the cultural diversity of its hometown Houston, TX. Apollo Chamber Players has gained prestige through innovative, thematically-programmed concerts and educational activities, and the commissioning of new music. During their 2013 East Coast Tour and Carnegie Hall debut, the group performed for over 1,000 enthusiastic concert-goers, including dignitaries from the Consulates General of Bulgaria and the Czech Republic of New York. Recent touring engagements include concerts for Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, Seattle University (WA), Grand Junction Symphony (CO), and in Lake Charles (LA) and Fredericksburg (TX).

Winner of HoustonPress’ 2014 MasterMinds award, Apollo was one of three organizations in Houston to be recognized for positively impacting the local arts community. This past season Apollo collaborated with Houston METdance for concert productions at Wortham and Miller Outdoor Theaters, and it was the featured ensemble for Concert at the Villa, an AIDS Ministry event sponsored by Catholic Charities Houston. In September 2014, the organization launched a multi-year commissioning project, 20x2020, with a new work by Grammy winning composer Libby Larsen, and in recent seasons the ensemble has collaborated with acclaimed artists James Dunham, Ivo-Jan van der Werff, Timothy Pitts, Ismail Lumanovski, and Viktor Valkov. Apollo is featured frequently on American Public Media’s nationally syndicated program, Performance Today.

"European Folkscapes makes folk music come to life effectively." (American Record Guide.) Apollo’s debut album earned ‘Album of the Week’ honors by WQXR in New York City has reached millions of listeners through national and international airplay. Passionate about arts education, the ensemble curates culturally-enriching programs for performance through Young Audiences of Houston, and it presents concerts and masterclasses for schools and festivals across the country.

Booklet for Moonstrike