Students will have a chance to experience music of the 17th century when Apollo's Fire performs at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in Schwab Auditorium.

Apollo's Fire, a Cleveland-based orchestra specializing in Baroque music, will perform Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, an opera celebrating its 400th anniversary this year.

Emma Joseph, marketing and business manager for Apollo's Fire, said Monteverdi was one of the first Baroque artists, so marking the 400th anniversary is significant.

"[L'Orfeo] was the first real opera. It was revolutionary," she said.

When Apollo's Fire travels to Penn State, it will be perform excerpts of the opera, Joseph said.

Marica Tacconi, director of the Institute of Arts and Humanities at Penn State, said Apollo's Fire is part of the institute's initiative, Moments of Change.

Moments of Change is a yearlong program that focuses on 25 years in world history from many angles, she said.

"It's a multi-disciplinary initiative," Tacconi said.

"It will explore a 25-year period that marked great changes," she added.

The Institute of Arts and Humanities asked Apollo's Fire to perform at Penn State, Tacconi said.

"I saw them perform in Cleveland and I was impressed by their playing," she said.

"They are a most outstanding orchestra," she added.

Joseph said the group tours several times a year and frequently plays at college campuses, including Columbia University and Western Michigan University.

"Our mission is to engage widespread audiences," she said.

Apollo's Fire is an "early music group" that specializes in period instruments from the 17th and 18th centuries, Joseph said.

The group is mostly composed of freelance musicians and early music specialists, she said.

"We're the only Baroque group in the Midwest," Joseph said.

Joseph said Jeannette Sorrell, who now serves as the group's artistic director, founded Apollo's Fire in 1992.

The orchestra will hold events throughout the day starting with a lecture by Sorrell on "The Performance of Early Baroque Music" from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in Esber Recital Hall.

This event is free and open to the public.

From 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Esber, orchestra members will hold a workshop with students in the School of Music's voice and opera program.

From 2 to 3:30 p.m. in 122 Music Building II, the group will hold a workshop with the School of Music's Baroque Ensemble. Both these events are free and open to the public, Tacconi said.

In the evening, Sorrell and Tacconi will speak from 6:30 to 7 p.m. to ticket holders prior to the concert, which will start at 7:30 p.m.

"A lot of people don't have exposure to Baroque music," Joseph said. "It's a warm, intimate experience and a great opportunity."

Baroque music has a different sound from classical music that students may not have had the opportunity to experience, Tacconi said.

Tacconi said L'Orfeo exemplifies the importance of emotion in music through the story of a man who tries to rescue his wife through music.

"Great art transcends centuries," she said.

"Strong emotions are the core of human beings," Tacconi added. "It's timeless."