“A performance of verve, buoyancy and lyrical warmth”

Chicago Classical Review

“Lightning has struck twice, as Haymarket’s “Apollo e Dafne” is yet another success”

Hyde Park Herald

“An Inspiring & Relevant Modern Production of the Handel’s Eternal Masterpiece”

Opera Wire

“Superbly done, with sleek visuals and superb sound”

Chicago Classical Review

Unrequited Lust in Handel’s Apollo e Dafne

Haymarket celebrates Handel’s 336th birthday with the intimate pastoral cantata Apollo e Dafne. The sun god Apollo has just saved the world from the terrors of the giant Python when he spies the ravishingly beautiful huntress Dafne. He is overcome with desire but Dafne will have none of it. She is devoted to Apollo’s sister Diana, the virgin goddess of the hunt. After a breathtaking chase, she escapes him by transforming into a laurel tree. In his deep grief he promises to keep the tree forever green with his tears and to crown heroes with its leaves. The astonishing beauty of Handel’s music has made Apollo e Dafne one of his greatest hits.

The dynamic duo soprano Erica Schuller and baritone Ryan de Ryke, well-known to Haymarket audiences for their show-stopping performances in Telemann’s Pimpinone, create the roles of Daphne and Apollo in Handel’s youthful masterpiece. Schuller’s burnished soprano “easily wins our hearts with her infectious goodness, winning smile, and gorgeous tone” (Stage and Cinema) and De Ryke’s “supple, refined baritone” (Chicago Classical Review) is the ultimate match for the virtuosic demands of Handel’s Apollo. 

10th-Anniversary Season Presented in HD

Film Premiere: March 5, 2021 at 7:30pm
followed by a virtual Opening Night Party

Streaming available on-demand: March 5-14, 2021

Thanks to our Production Sponsors:

Lead Sponsors: Amata Offices, Resolution Studios, Garry Grasinski, M. Scott Anderson, Richard Jamerson and Susan Rozendaal, Greg O’Leary and Patricia Kenney, Lynne and Ralph Schatz, Marjorie Stinespring, Pam and Doug Walter

Supporting Sponsors: Jerry and Pat Fuller, Sarah Harding and Mark Ouwleen, Axel Kunzmann and Bruce Nelson, Edward T. Mack, David Rice, Suzanne L. Wagner, Michael and Jessica Young 

We are grateful for the support of these sponsors alongside the support that has come from Haymarket’s wonderful community of donors. Your donated tickets, gifts, and contributions have helped make this performance possible. Thank you!