Apollo Arts is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating classical artistic experiences through ballet, music and theater performances. Nestled in the beautiful Sierra Foothills of Northern California, we offer every year a season full of prestigious artistic events. In the many years of our history we have had the honor of hosting world-class ballet dancers such as Diana Vishneva, Maria Alexandrova, Igor Zelensky, Nikolay Tsiskaridze, Farukh Ruzimatov (to name a few) from the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres and from the best US ballet companies. Legendary prima ballerina Natalia Makarova has visited us, gracing our audience and enjoying our ballet Gala performances. We have also hosted renowned guest musicians such as Menahem Pressler and his famous Beaux Arts Trio, Brian Ganz, and had many other remarkable musicians and ensembles perform for us throughout the years.

We invite you to join us in celebrating the best and most elevating artistic experiences: please visit our website regularly to follow our artistic program and yearly calendar of events, and plan a visit to one of our outstanding performances.

Our History

Apollo Performing Arts began in the early 70's on beautiful grounds in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California, and from the very beginning gained a strong artistic momentum. Even before our first official Concert Hall was built, a Concert Series was attracting every week professional artists from the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Our initial Chamber Concert Series lasted four years, and concerts eventually moved to the newly built Festival Hall, offering classical music to our audience every week.

One of the most involved musicians at Apollo Performing Arts at that time was pianist Anna Gold, who moved to our area and built her home. She was part of a trio with her sisters, violinist Ida and famous cellist Zara Nelsova, who could count Pablo Casals among her teachers and was widely recognized for her concerts all over the world. Zara performed at Apollo many times, and was often accompanied by famous accompanist pianist Brooks Smith.

In its relentless pursuit of classical arts, Apollo Arts was able to attract many outstanding artists such as Menahem Pressler and the famous Beaux Arts Trio, famous violinist Sidney Harth, renowned violinist Eudice Shapiro who was also accompanied by Brooks Smith, and later on pianist Brian Ganz who held his concerts and masterclasses at Apollo Arts in several occasions.

By the 80's Apollo Arts had grown into a more solid art organization: with the arrival of European-trained conductor Michael Goodwin, Apollo Arts widened its scope and developed into different branches: Apollo Orchestra and Chorus, Apollo Theatre and Apollo Opera.

Apollo Theatre has presented through the years a wide array of the most outstanding theatrical plays, from the Greeks to Shakespeare.

Apollo Opera hosted several productions throughout the years including Monteverdi's operas Orfeo, L'incoronazione di Poppea, Il ritorno di Ulisse in Patria, Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Gounod's opera Faust, Mozart's operas Cosi' Fan Tutte, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Verdi's opera Rigoletto and Puccini's operas Madama Butterfly and la Boheme. Beautiful costumes and sets by accomplished costume and set designers have always framed our performances offering a visual feast to our audience.

Michael Goodwin served Apollo Arts relentlessly for 40 years raising it to what it is today, and his untimely death in 2012 was a deep loss for our community. Our indoor concert venue, the Apollo Festival Hall, has been dedicated to his loving memory.

At the turn of the Century Apollo Arts developed its major branch: classical ballet. Our quest for the highest artistic expression of classical beauty was enriched further once our outdoor classical amphitheater, the Da Vinci Theatron, was conceived and realized, making possible to host ballet galas and to invite the best dancers from the Bolshoi and Marinsky Theatres in Russia and from renowned US ballet companies: Diana Vishneva, Maria Alexandrova, Olga Pavlova, Alina Somova, Nikolay Tsiskaridze, Farukh Ruzimatov, Alexander Vetrov, Denis Matvienko, Igor Zelensky and more renowned artists.

From 2003 to 2008 Apollo Arts has offered to its audience long seasons of enchanting outdoors ballet performances each year, from May to September, with some of the best dancers in the world. Concurrently, classical music and theatre took place all year round, and until today.

In 2017 classical ballet has come back to Apollo on the occasion of our Da Vinci Theatron reopening: our 'Masters and Youth' gala on August 5th and 6th has welcomed back our world-class dancers from Russia, now friends of Apollo Arts, who have graciously shared our stage with Marat Dukayev's School of Ballet from Los Angeles.