This classical ensemble is tuned in to today's headlines

The Apollo Chamber Players create concerts in response to book banning, the refugee crisis, the war in Gaza and other world events. The members of the Houston based ensemble are Matthew Dudzik, left, Aria Cheregosha, Matthew J. Detrick and Anabel Ramírez. (Lynn Lane/The Apollo Chamber Players)

Chamber music as an art form dates back to the late 1700s which presents a problem for a young, dynamic ensemble: how to make chamber music feel less, well, fusty?

The Apollo Chamber Players, in Houston, Texas, believe that classical music must engage with today's issues, ideas and problems. It organized its current season, called "Silenced Voices," around censorship. Each musical piece is a response to Texas's status as one of the states with the most banned books in the country.