Baroque violinist Lindsey Tootle captivates audiences with her gift for musical storytelling, warm stage presence, and performances of early music that are as vibrant as they are historically informed.

 

Lindsey has appeared as a soloist, teacher, and orchestral musician internationally and has been featured multiple times since 2023 as a soloist with Seven Hills Baroque (7HB). She has also performed with Harmonie Universelle (USA) and with members of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra and New Trinity Baroque, as well as alongside members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on modern instruments in the Bach Ensemble at St. Thomas. Lindsey formerly served as principal Baroque violinist and a member of the leadership team with 7HB and continues to perform with 7HB and other professional Cincinnati-based ensembles, including Ars Perpetuum. Nationally, Lindsey served on the Emerging Professional Leadership Council of Early Music America from 2024 to 2026, including as its secretary for the 2025-2026 term.

 

On the way to her first violin lessons at age three, Lindsey's parents, though not musicians themselves, played a cassette tape of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 performed by Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. Enthralled with the sound of the harpsichord and the warmth of gut strings, Lindsey developed a childhood obsession with early music, which only grew with time. To this day, early music remains the North Star of Lindsey's musical journey.​

As a child, Lindsey often wished to hear more performances on period instruments, but had fewer opportunities to experience them firsthand growing up in Alabama. That experience now fuels her dedication to expanding access to early music in Alabama and across the broader Southeastern U.S. Lindsey co-founded Bama Baroque in Tuscaloosa, an ensemble focused on historically informed performance, creative programming, and bringing early music to new audiences in Alabama. She also launched the Southeastern Early Music Community (SEMC) Facebook group, which has grown to more than 250 members and supports the promotion and coordination of early music events throughout the region.

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Lindsey studied pre-college violin with Jeffrey Dortch and earned a Bachelor of Music in Performance, cum laude, on full scholarship from the The University of Alabama. Her teachers and mentors included Gesa Kordes (Baroque violin), Jenny Gregoire (modern violin), and Dr. Don Fader (historical performance practice). In recent years, she has been especially grateful for the mentorship of Edwin Huizinga and the unwavering support of her colleagues at 7HB, all of whom facilitated her return to the stage after a six-year hiatus.