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For nine decades, the legendary Apollo—the soul of American culture—has played a vital role in cultivating emerging artists, launching legends, and serving as a center of innovation for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world. The largest performing arts institution committed to Black culture and creativity, The Apollo is a beacon of the Harlem community recognized for celebrating, creating, and presenting performances inspired by Black American culture which has shaped popular culture globally. The Apollo redefines contemporary American culture through its roles as a partner and collaborator with artists; as a commissioner of new work, producer, presenter, arts educator, and incubator; and as a catalyst for social and civic advocacy.

With music at its core, The Apollo's programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, comedy, festivals, and more, including special programs and blockbuster concert performances by artists ranging from Drake, Bruno Mars, and Alicia Keys to U2, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Lady Gaga; from premieres of a musical homage to Amiri Baraka’s The Blues and Its People, the theatrical adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me, and the opera We Shall Not Be Moved; to The Gathering, which was recently presented at the Kennedy Center. For 90 years, the Apollo has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and ushering in the emergence of musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip hop. The countless legendary artists who launched their careers at The Apollo’s Amateur Night, the original, large-scale talent show and one of the longest-running continuous events in New York City, include Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, H.E.R., D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, and Miri Ben Ari. The Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.

During its 90th anniversary season, the organization opened The Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater, marking the first-ever major expansion and renovation of the institution, and began its plans to restore and renovate its Historic Theater. This will allow The Apollo to increase performances, and educational and community programs, as well as expand its support for artists and other cultural organizations.

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Recent Kennedy Center history:

The Apollo has collaborated with the Kennedy Center several times in recent years –The Gathering, a collaboration with the Kennedy Center, National Black Theatre, and The Apollo Theater, in June 2024; an April 2018 co-commission and presentation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, directed by Apollo’s Kamilah Forbes; Harlem Light/U Street Nights in May 2015; and a 2010 performance by the Apollo Theater house band member Candido Camero in association with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and its exhibition, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment.”