As one of the smallest yet most impressive vocal groups in the United Kingdom—which celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2025—Apollo5 continues to thrill, move, and inspire audiences. The ensemble, whose name derives from the ancient Greek god of music, consists of a soprano, a mezzo-soprano, two tenors, and a bass, and is known for its ability to create a sense of intimacy and immediacy, demonstrating—with a rich, dynamic, and distinctive sound—just how powerful five voices alone can be. With their versatile programming and a repertoire ranging from Renaissance through classical and contemporary choral works to folk, jazz, and pop, the group’s five voices bring the music of five centuries to life.
Apollo5’s busy touring schedule has taken the group to Europe, the U.S., and Asia. In addition to performances at renowned British concert halls such as Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, St. John’s Smith Square, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Barbican Centre, the group has also toured France, Germany, and other European countries, including recent performances with an orchestra and a brass band in Lisbon (PT) and Prague (CZ). The group is a regular guest on BBC Radio 3’s *In Tune* and is frequently featured on this national station as well as other British stations such as Classic FM, Magic Classical, and NTS Radio.
The group has released seven studio albums to date. Recent highlights include *Anam* (2025), a Gaelic-inspired collection of “music that moves the soul,” and *Haven* (2023), which is dedicated to the music of suffering, displaced, and persecuted composers and features William Byrd’s complete Mass for Five Voices. Other notable releases include *Where All Roses Go* (2021) and *O Radiant Dawn* (2019), both of which reached the Top 5 on the UK classical charts, as well as the winter album *A Deep But Dazzling Darkness* (2021) and *Invocations* (2023), a collaboration with composer and arranger Fraser Wilson. The upcoming eighth album, *Crossings* (2026), is a musical meditation on the ancient pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena.
During the pandemic, Apollo5 played a key role in launching LIVE From London, a global online concert series that reached millions of people and supported over 500 artists, composers, and production teams—a festival that continues to thrive today.
As part of the VOCES8 Foundation, Apollo5 collaborates with VOCES8 and Paul Smith, reaching over 40,000 young people annually in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the U.S. through a program of workshops, masterclasses, and concerts. In recent years, the group has worked with thousands of young people and adults throughout France as part of projects organized by the Association SING’IN, performing for large audiences at unforgettable venues such as a soccer stadium, a circus, and a royal abbey. Much of Apollo5’s educational work in the United Kingdom takes place at the VOCES8 Center at St. Anne & St. Agnes Church in the heart of London, the foundation’s home. The group also led an extensive choral project in the London boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets, which collaborates with inner-city schools and supports their teachers. Now in its ninth year, this project is supported by the Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Worshipful Company of Glovers, the Big Give Trust, as well as a number of private foundations and generous individual donors.
Cast
Penelope Appleyard, soprano
Lily Robson, mezzo-soprano
Thomas Mottershead, tenor
Joseph Taylor, tenor
Augustus Perkins Ray, bass
