Hey, y’all!
Pictured above: Bama Baroque with the Cahaba Chamber Chorale on October 5, 2025, in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Photo courtesy of Dr. Quint Harris.
Bama Baroque (a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; EIN: 33-3044870) is a period-instrument ensemble based in Tuscaloosa, founded in 2024 by Baroque violinist Lindsey Tootle and harpsichordist Dr. Michael Delfin alongside a circle of friends and colleagues across the state. Bama Baroque is one of only a handful of professional early music ensembles in Alabama’s history and the largest independent ensemble of its kind active in the state today.
Guided by careful scholarship, vibrant history, and a dash of Southern hospitality, Bama Baroque’s mission is to share performances that are joyful, unpretentious, and rich in storytelling. The ensemble’s musical reach extends beyond the elegant Baroque era (c. 1600–1750) to include the folk and popular traditions of the same period: ancient ballads, sacred songs and spirituals, dance tunes, and more, all performed on historical instruments. In this way, Bama Baroque presents music and programming that feels both inspiring and familiar to Alabama audiences.
Bama Baroque at their inaugural concert, March 29, 2025, University of Alabama.
Bama Baroque launched its performance activities with its inaugural concert in March 2025, debuting to an enthusiastic audience. Building on this success, the ensemble presented a multi-city tour culminating in Bachtoberfest, a festival celebrating the works of J.S. Bach hosted by the Cahaba Chamber Chorale, Alabama’s only independent professional choir, under the direction of Dr. Quint Harris in October 2025.
These performances marked important milestones for independent, professional early music in Alabama, and community response has been overwhelmingly supportive. Bama Baroque has been featured multiple times on Alabama Public Radio, and ensemble members have presented satellite performances both in and outside Tuscaloosa, strengthening connections with local audiences while expanding educational opportunities and access to early music throughout the region.
The ensemble’s founding was, in many ways, serendipitous. Lindsey Tootle, a Huntsville native living in Cincinnati, had long imagined hearing more early music performed in her home state. As fate would have it, Dr. Michael Delfin, her longtime Cincinnati-based collaborator, relocated with his family to Tuscaloosa in 2024. Their shared vision, friendship, and complementary experience naturally converged in the founding of Bama Baroque, alongside several Alabama-based early music leaders, performers and scholars.
Whether in a concert hall, a community space, or simply sitting on the back porch, Bama Baroque exists to share more of the magic of early music with Alabamians wherever and whenever we can. Pull up a chair and join us!