Chamber Music America’s 2025 Ensemble of the Year, Houston-based APOLLO CHAMBER PLAYERS is a “dynamic ensemble creating programs in response to current events” (NPR) that “recasts music for a diverse and multi-ethnic generation” (Strings Magazine). Apollo has performed for sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and it is featured frequently on American Public Media’s Performance Today. Over the past decade the ensemble has commissioned over 60 multicultural works and released 8 acclaimed albums, collaborating with artists such as Jennifer Higdon, John Corigliano, Jerod Tate, Adolphus Hailstork, Vân-Ánh Võ, Pamela Z, and George Takei.

Released on the Grammy-winning label Azica Records, Apollo's album With Malice Toward None reached No. 1 on Amazon’s Hot New Release chart, and the ensemble’s catalog of records has been featured on hundreds of radio and media stations worldwide. The organization’s debut feature film, MoonShot: The Remarkable Journey of Apollo Chamber Players, won international accolades, including Best Documentary and Best Documentary Soundtrack at the Seattle, Vancouver, Houston and Screen ATX International film festivals. It is now available on Amazon Prime and Tubi. 

Apollo’s community partners include schools and universities, hospitals, at-risk youth centers, refugee, veterans and sensory-inclusive organizations, and public libraries. The ensemble’s vanguard Library Voyage project, an initiative to perform in all Harris County/Houston Public Libraries, is the first of its kind in the nation. Apollo was founded in 2008 by violinist and arts entrepreneur Matthew J. Detrick.