The Bach Reader with cellist Steuart Pincombe

Cellist Steuart Pincombe and his wife Michelle left professional careers in Europe for a chance to live in a 1959 19-foot travel trailer on a yearlong journey around North America. Their mission: to bring the highest level of historically informed cello performance into the familiar spaces of cafes, breweries, restaurants, homes and churches across the country in a way accessible to a wide audience. In early July their trailer stops in Columbus to present a concert at the Book Loft in the German Village.

The concert – taking place on Thursday, July 7th at 7pm – is entitled “The Bach Reader” and will bring the audience into the world of J.S. Bach not only through his music, but in reading letters and stories of the composer. Featuring selections from three of Bach’s well-known cello suites, Steuart will present the readings interlaced with his playing, giving listeners a sense of Bach as a person.

Steuart and Michelle’s tour, dubbed Music in Familiar Spaces, has the aim of making high caliber classical music available to a wide and varied audience. Not only are performances in familiar, comfortable and untraditional spaces, but the audience is invited to experience the music in a new and engaging way, with an added focus on audience interaction and without rules of the traditional concert hall. Audience members are also asked to “name-their-own-ticket-price”, paying only what they can afford and what they believe the concert is worth.