“The overriding and lasting impression is the love of the music and the sheer physicality of the music making which connects at every turn.”

The ensemble’s name comes from Apollo, the God of music in Greek mythology. It is also a reference to the Sun King, Louis XIV of France who played Apollo in Lully’s ballet Le Ballet de la Nuit. As a great patron of music it was this performance which earned him the title ‘Le Roi Soleil’. An early obsession with music from the French Baroque shaped our initial performances and projects. Since then as we’ve grown in ability and knowledge the repertoire of the ensemble has become broader, encompassing a wide range of music from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Our projects have included performances of major works such as Handel's Acis and Galatea and Tomas Luis de Victoria's Requiem, as well as more niche projects: in 2015 the ensemble began a project exploring the relationship between Marc-Antoine Charpentier and the now-forgotten Italian master, Giovanni Battista Mazzaferrata. Our 2012 CD Passiontide: Holy Week in the Courts of Europe was released to critical acclaim.