Apollo Chamber Players Release New Documentary, MOONSHOT: THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF APOLLO CHAMBER PLAYERS

Apollo Chamber Players, in partnership with Io Communications and Documentary Alliance, release MoonShot: The Remarkable Journey of Apollo Chamber Players, now available on Amazon Prime and blu ray, and to be released on the Tubi streaming platform September 27, 2022.

MoonShot chronicles the origins of Apollo's musicians, its groundbreaking 20x2020 project reflecting one of the world's most culturally diverse cities, and the challenges overcome - and milestones achieved - during the COVID-19 pandemic. MoonShot stars Apollo's four core artists along with Emmy-winning Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate and astronaut John Herrington, the first American Indian citizen to fly in space. Featured artists and contributors include Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen and Christopher Theofanidis; Academy Award-winning Đàn bầu performer Vân Ánh (Vanessa) Võ; Rome Prize-winning composers Pamala Z and Pierre Jalbert; Syrian-American composer Malek Jandali; and Turkish born composer Erberk Eryilmaz.

MoonShot was produced and written by Jeffrey Mills of Houston-based Documentary Alliance and Io Communications, platinum Remi-Winner of the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. The film features a new soundtrack composed by Scott Szabo, a gold medal winner of the Park City Film Music Festival, performed by the musicians off Apollo and acclaimed concert pianist Andrew Staupe. Narration is by St. John Flynn, former Arts & Culture Director of Houston Public Media.

The documentary was filmed in Houston, Texas, with interviews and footage shot at NASA's Space Center Houston, and prominently features Chickasaw astronaut John Herrington. The film was underwritten by a highly competitive Artistic Innovations grant award from Mid-America Arts Alliance.

MoonShot's many awards include:
- Seattle Film Festival: Best Documentary Soundtrack Winner (July 2021)
- Vancouver Independent Film Festival: Finalist (July 2021)
- WorldFest Houston/Houston International Film Festival: Winner 2022
- Beyond the Curve International Film Festival (Paris, France): Finalist (July 2021)
- Fort Smith International Film Festival (Fort Smith, AK): Selected (August 2021)
- Screen ATX (Austin, Texas): Best Documentary & Best Documentary Soundtrack Winner (September 2021)

On Friday, September 2, 2022, Apollo Chamber Players released its sixth commercial album, MoonStrike, on Azica Records. MoonStrike is a universal celebration of storytelling, space, and folk song, realized through new works by Jennifer Higdon, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, and Pierre Jalbert. All three works were commissioned by Apollo Chamber Players as part of its 20x2020 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.

Amazon Prime

Amazon Blu Ray

Celebrating its 15th season, Houston-based Apollo Chamber Players "performs with rhythmic flair and virtuosity" (The Strad) and "recasts music for a diverse and multi-ethnic generation" (Strings Magazine). The ensemble's globally-inspired programming and multicultural new music commissions have garnered international acclaim, including sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall and in Havana, Cuba, a Chamber Music America Residency Partnership award, and regular features on American Public Media's Performance Today.

Released on the Grammy-winning Azica Records label, Apollo's fifth studio album, With Malice Toward None, reached No. 1 on Amazon's Hot New Release chart, and Strings Magazine praised the album's message, which tackles "politics, identity, and what it means to be a citizen of a nation balanced between an idealized past and a just and multicultural future." The ensemble's catalog of records has been featured on hundreds of radio and media stations worldwide.

A passionate advocate for contemporary music and underrepresented composers, Apollo successfully concluded a bold initiative to commission 20 new multicultural works by the end of the last decade. 20x2020 features a diverse roster of the world's leading composers and instrumentalists including Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Pamela Z, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, Hector del Curto, Vân Ánh Võ, and Tracy Silverman. The ensemble's community partners include schools and universities, at-risk youth centers, refugee and veterans service organizations, and public libraries.

Apollo was founded in 2008 by violinist and music entrepreneur, Matthew J. Detrick. Learn more at www.apollochamberplayers.org.

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