Johnny Loves Johann

MODLIN ARTS PRESENTS 30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Johnny Loves Johann unites violinist Johnny Gandelsman’s folk-inspired interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites with original choreography created and performed by John Heginbotham, Caili Quan, Jamar Roberts, and Melissa Toogood. The performance is a whimsical, intimate take on Bach’s music, celebrating the dance and humanity at the heart of these iconic works.

Named "a violinist who can do anything" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Grammy Award-winning violinist, producer, and 2024 MacArthur Fellow Johnny Gandelsman created this multidisciplinary project to explore the relationship between sound and movement - not as parallel forms, but as collaborators.

At its core, Johnny Loves Johann is a tribute to community – both among the artists themselves and with the audience members who join them on this journey. By inviting these remarkable choreographers to bring their personal and cultural narratives to Bach’s music, the project creates a tapestry of voices and perspectives that reflect the shared human experience.

Co-commissioned by Modlin Center for the Arts

Post-Show Artist Q&A 

Ticket & Discount Information
Tickets available at $35. Create Your Own Series and save 20% when you book three or more shows at once!
UR Students: Free
UR Employee & Osher Members: $15
Students & Youth: $10
Community Access: $15

Funding Credits

The Modlin Center presentation of Johnny Loves Johann, including commissioning support for the creation of this work, is generously supported in part by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

Additional Support

Carolina Performing Arts and the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts serve as lead co-commissioners for Johnny Loves Johann. This work also received commissioning support from The Joyce Theater’s Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for New Work with additional support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; the Modlin Center for the Arts at the University of Richmond; Works & Process; and The Yard. Additional funding support was provided by Jody and John Arnhold, Alva Greenberg, Michael Hostetler and Erica Pascal, John Mittelman, Marty Peretz, Michael and Amy Tiemann, and Ken and Florence Umezaki. Johnny Loves Johann receives fiscal sponsorship through Producer Hub.