Based in Houston, Minnesota, The Apollo Music Festival (AMF) is a classical music festival focusing mostly on chamber music. It was founded in 2013 by pianist Garret Ross, a native of Houston. Ross presented his first professional concert in Houston in December of 2012, with cellist Ruth Marshall, in the space that would become the International Owl Center. Performing under the name Artu Duo, they have been the ensemble-in-residence at the Apollo Music Festival ever since. In the summer of 2013, the first AMF concerts were held at the Houston Preschool, and all subsequent concerts have been held at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. 

The Apollo Music Festival runs every summer during the two weeks before Labor Day, producing four concerts in Houston. It has run annually since 2013, with the exception of 2020 when it was forced into a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its founding in 2013, The Apollo Music Festival has also produced concerts in Caledonia, Winona, and Saint Paul. Since 2014, AMF has also offered educational opportunities for students, including master classes with AMF musicians, and student recitals at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church.

In the years since 2013, over twenty excellent musicians have performed at Apollo Music Festival concerts. These musicians are members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony, the Illinois Symphony, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, the Britt Festival Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and have taught on the faculties of the University of Minnesota, the State University of New York, Northern Kentucky University, Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Lewis and Clark College, the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University, New York University, Mannes School of Music, Winona State University, and Illinois Wesleyan University. They have come from Oregon, Montana, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, New York, Germany, and of course, Minnesota. These musicians’ skills and gifts, coming from far and wide, create the excellence for which the Apollo Music Festival is known. For the two weeks before Labor Day, there is nowhere they would rather be than Houston, Minnesota. 

The Apollo Music Festival offers all of its concert and educational programming free to the community. As such, it is mightily supported by the Southeastern Minnesota community. Each year, individual donors give generously to AMF to help off-set the significant costs of producing concerts of such high caliber. The Apollo Music Festival has also received grant funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, and in-kind support from the Houston Arts Resource Council.

Purpose Statement

Chamber Live is organized exclusively for charitable and education purposes. Chamber Music Live is a non-profit arts organization that offers performance and support of exceptional classical music throughout greater America.

Mission Statement: Chamber Music Live is to

  1. Present Chamber Music concerts on the highest artistic level to a broad spectrum of audiences. 

  2. Provide broader access to rural and inner city audiences throughout the United States. 

  3. Support musicians (professional, semi-professional and student) with performance and education opportunities.

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A Message From the Artistic Director

Thank you so much for joining us at the Apollo Music Festival. Every year, for the two weeks leading up to Labor Day, musicians from around the United States congregate to prepare and perform music for the community of Houston, MN and surrounding areas. For myself personally, it is an annual return to my roots. I grew up in Houston, MN and was inspired by my local music teachers and local music organizations to pursue a career in music. I hope that, like the people who inspired me, the Apollo Music Festival can give back to the community through music. 

In the spirit of sharing, every event at the Apollo Music Festival is completely free and open to the general public. Every year, I am in awe of the outpouring of community support, which manifests itself in large, enthusiastic audiences, and generous financial support. These acts of giving inspire the musicians on stage, and we all look forward to returning to this amazing community every year. For us, it is a time to be inspired by the community, each other, and the amazing repertoire we play- from Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Debussy, to Amy Beach, Elliott Carter, William Grant Still, and many others. 

Please take a moment to enjoy our wonderful live recordings from previous festivals by clicking here. If you feel like the Apollo Music Festival has brightened your life in any way, I invite you to donate. We depend on community support to continue our projects for the Southeastern Minnesota Community and beyond. I hope that this music can be a respite from the difficulties of daily life.

Sincerely,

Garret Ross | Artistic Director, Apollo Music Festival

 

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.