Bama Baroque is a new, forthcoming early music ensemble based in Alabama, founded by Baroque violinist Lindsey Tootle and historical keyboardist Dr. Michael Delfin.

Bama Baroque will provide professional, high-caliber historically informed performances of Baroque and folk music from the 17th-18th centuries on original instruments, with plenty of opportunities for amateur musicians, students, and the community to engage with us and learn.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama. However, we hope to pop up in other cities across Alabama to perform and collaborate!

Currently, we're planning for our first concert to take place in Tuscaloosa in spring 2025, with our first season to commence the following fall. Stay tuned for exciting updates!

The historically informed performance (abbreviated HIP, or HP) of music uses historical instruments, scholarly research, and a variety of social, musical, and historical contextual clues to recreate how a composition may have sounded when it was originally composed. You might think of HIP as the musical version of a living museum or historical re-enactment.

HIP is most commonly used for Western classical music pre-1750 (from the Baroque era and earlier), although the field has diversified to include other areas and genres. Generally, groups which play music using HIP are interchangeably called "early music" or "historical performance" ensembles, and the wide range of music played is called "early music."

With HIP groups like Bama Baroque, musicians and audiences can explore and revive the musical sights and sounds of bygone eras and places: castle halls, rowdy taverns, opera houses, and living rooms, to name only a few. Believe us when we say that HIP is as awesome as it sounds!

Baroque music is the main style of Western classical music written in the 17th to mid-18th centuries. As suggested by our name, we'll play plenty of it, on period-appropriate instruments.

We will also focus on the diverse folk and popular music of the 17th-18th centuries, especially in North America: the ancient European ballads and dances that influenced modern Americana, stirring Black sacred music and spirituals, lively Appalachian mountain music, rustic gospel hymns, and a lot more.

Baroque and folk music may seem different at face value, but the genres influenced each other substantially. A sizable amount of folk music still played today was already around or was written during the 17th-18th centuries, making it a natural choice to play on our historical instruments. For all these reasons and more, many musicians specializing in either style find the expressive, improvisatory, collaborative style of both worlds to be a match made in heaven.

Not yet, but we will be! The process to register as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the IRS and in the state of Alabama is ongoing as of the publishing of this site. We will confirm our nonprofit status as soon as our application is approved.

Donations may still be made to Bama Baroque while nonprofit status is pending.

PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS AND ENSEMBLES: Please email us at the address listed below and provide the following info:

• location,

• instrument/voice,

• a resume, and

• whether you have your own historical instrument (if applicable). (Even if you don't have your own instrument, please still reach out if you're interested.)

AMATEUR MUSICIANS AND STUDENTS: We appreciate the grassroots, collaborative spirit which the early music and folk fields share in common. Our formal performances will normally be presented by professional musicians, but we are actively planning ways to involve amateur musicians and students. We ask that musicians have their own instrument (historical or modern) and be able to read sheet music. Please contact us using the email below!

For all inquiries, please email us at bamabaroque@gmail.com.

It takes a (rather large) village to start something as unique and ambitious as Bama Baroque... so we'd love to be your neighbor. Currently, here are our areas of greatest need, monetary and otherwise:

• Financial support and donations; ANY amount helps

  • Donations made while Bama Baroque's nonprofit status is pending are still considered nontaxable to the extent permitted by law. For further information, please write us at bamabaroque@gmail.com.

• In kind donations:

  • lodging for musicians (a paid hotel room, a guest suite or spare room, etc.),

  • printing needs (programs, posters, flyers),

  • venues across Alabama willing to open their doors to us for performances, and

  • sharing Bama Baroque with your family, friends, and musical connections by word of mouth and by sharing and liking our social media posts.

For all donations, inquiries, or requests, please email us at bamabaroque@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of our ensemble!

Even if you've never been to a "classical concert," there's a spot for you at Bama Baroque! We warmly invite audience members of all ages to attend our performances and social events.

From seminars and workshops to family days and and hoedowns, we are actively planning ways for the community to get involved with us and our musicians, no matter your level of experience with either an instrument or with classical or folk music.

Have questions, comments, or ideas about how we can get involved in your community? Please email us at bamabaroque@gmail.com.

It started with an idea, as most things do. Our founder, Lindsey, grew up in Huntsville, and has often lamented the comparative lack of opportunities in Alabama for hearing and playing early music. For several years prior to Bama Baroque's founding, Lindsey had been considering establishing an early music ensemble back home.

In July 2024, this idea became reality far more quickly than she expected. Suddenly - and completely by coincidence - Lindsey's friend and colleague, harpsichordist Dr. Michael Delfin, relocated to Tuscaloosa, Alabama: where Lindsey had attended school, and where she was considering founding a group!

One day Michael texted Lindsey and said "Hey, you know that ensemble in Alabama you were thinking about forming? I'm moving there. Let's do it." Together, with years of friendship and experience aligning their goals and vision, Michael and Lindsey founded Bama Baroque.

Bama Baroque seeks to provide the citizens of Alabama more opportunities to hear, experience, and perform early music, exploring both the classical and folk traditions. By doing so, Bama Baroque hopes to greatly enrich and nourish the musical and cultural landscape of Alabama.