Apollo Musicum formed as a string quartet 19 September 1953 for a concert
celebrating the 60th anniversary of NZ women getting the vote – the first women in the world to do so.
The creation of Apollo Musicum espoused the idea of professional and teacher players joining with student performers to make music together and to help develop musical skills.
Apollo now comprises over one hundred members forming string ensembles, chamber orchestras and choral groups on a session basis in Christchurch and in collaboration with players in other regions.
On occasions, Apollo has performed under other banners to honour contributing artists, for example as the Lyndsay String Quartet, in 1963, it won the first ever NZ-wide Chamber Music Contest.
Apollo masterminds and performs at many major events, for example:
- engaging international as well as local musicians for the ceremony that filled the Christchurch Town Hall to celebrate the 3,000th anniversary of Biblical King David’s ascension to the Throne
- organising City Officials, Maori parties and iconic musical collaborators to celebrate the end of the Sri Chinmoy round-the-world Torch of Peace Run (like the Olympic Torch world-wide run)
- playing for the re-opening of the Christchurch Art Gallery
- celebrating with music the Greymouth region’s 100th anniversary
- running a series of fund-raising concerts along with fellow musical entities for the restoration of the historic George Sandford pipe organ at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church Kaikoura
- performing at concerts celebrating the re-opening of the Great Hall in the Christchurch Arts Centre and the Christchurch Town Hall
Apollo is regularly entertaining at:
- retirement villages over the South & North Island
- weddings and anniversaries
- provincial township events
- fundraising concerts for charitable purposes
Apollo is also writing and performing music for theatre groups, including
creating CD’s and movie sound tracks, for example
- Top Dog Theatre – outdoor Shakespeare
- Re Act Theatre – Murder in the Cathedral
- NASDA performances – A Day in the Life of Joe Egg
- Director of Music for Movies of Five Kingdoms Series
