Performer: Jeffrey Strauss

Apollo's Fire digs deep into the roots of early music and finds some surprisingly contemporary sounds.

Can a Handel's well-worn masterpiece get dramatic new life? Cleveland's Baroque orchestra Apollo's Fire and conductor Jeannette Sorrell answer with a definitive, “Yes!”

Who says American early music bands can’t play European music? Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland-based early music ensemble that will be touring the UK and Austria with Sandrine Piau in May, took local fans on a journey to medieval Spain this past weekend with delightfully authentic songs of the Sephardic Jews.