Apollo Chamber Players to Present EMPOWER Concert as Part of American Story Series

Houston-based Apollo Chamber Players wil present EMPOWER, the third program in their season-long American Story series, on Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 7:30pm at Houston's MATCH in Midtown.

Apollo will perform the world premiere of a new work, And Still We Cross, by the Emmy-winning Haitian-American composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain. The program also features Felix Mendelssohn's String Quartet in F Minor and Libby Larson's Sorrow Song & Jubilee, a 2014 Apollo Chamber Players commission composed as an homage to Dvořák's work during his tenure as director of the National Conservatory of Music of America, where fellow composer Henry Thacker Burleigh introduced him to the African-American spirituals and dances that became a major influence in his music.

In his new work And Still We Cross, Roumain makes an artistic statement on migration and the enduring struggle for freedom through the vision of two rivers: the Ohio River, a key crossing point for American slaves on their journey north via the Underground Railroad; and the Rio Grande, a defining boundary for migrants from Latin America today. Composed in collaboration with Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., a descendant of both Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, the work honors the legacies of both African-American luminaries, tracing their lasting imprint on history, education, and racial justice. This work for string quartet, SATB chorus, and narrator will be performed in its premiere by The Apollo Chamber Players alongside members of the Houston Chamber Choir - soprano Penelope Campbell, alto Natalie Broussard, tenor Wayne Ashley, and baritone Keaton Brown - with Morris serving as narrator. Kenneth Morris is the co-founder of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiative (FDFI) based in Rochester, NY, and he appears with Apollo representing FDFI as a program partner.

As a counterpoint to this reflection on migration and African-American heritage, the Felix Mendelssohn work draws on the life story of the composer's grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, whose role in the Jewish Enlightenment helped shape the ideals that guided America's founders and later generations of moral leaders.

Following this penultimate program, the American Story series will continue with a final live program, VENTURE, at MATCH in Midtown Houston at 7:30pm on Friday, May 22, 2026.

Through its four themed programs, the American Story series traces the many threads of the nation's identity as it approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding. In a thought-provoking journey through music, history, and storytelling, American Story reflects on the narratives that connect us, honoring the many voices that shape our history while looking ahead with hope toward a more inclusive and inspired future through the power of music.