Johnny Loves Johann
Violinist & Producer
Johnny Gandelsman
Choreographers
John Heginbotham, Caili Quan, Jamar Roberts, Melissa Toogood
Music
Bach’s Cello Suites
Artistic Advisor
John Heginbotham
Photos: Christopher Duggan
Johnny Loves Johann unites violinist Johnny Gandelsman and choreographers/performers John Heginbotham, Caili Quan, Jamar Roberts, and Melissa Toogood. This evening-length performance pairs Gandelman’s unique interpretation of Bach’s Cello Suites—performed live on violin—with original choreography, celebrating the humanity and dance at the center of this iconic music.
Gandelsman’s interpretation of Bach’s Cello Suites is special in its folk music- and dance-like qualities. Building upon that, the Johnny Loves Johann collaborators—each known for visceral, big-hearted art-making—re-visit the suites by leading with their humanity and curiosity.
World Premiere:
December 10-13, 2025
Carolina Performing Arts, Chapel Hill, NC
More Info + Tickets
CPA is proud to have supported convening this community of creatives to practice reinvention and vulnerability together, and to offer audiences a deeply personal experience and a renewed activation of the dance at this music’s core.
Johnny Loves Johann is co-commissioned by Carolina Performing Arts and the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at the University of North Carolina, who serve as lead co-commissioners of the world premiere. Additional development support was provided through a one-week residency at UNCSA campus in December 2024.
Johnny Loves Johann 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, Marty Peretz, and Ken Umezaki.
Jamar Roberts, Melissa Toogood, John Heginbotham, and Caili Quan in rehearsal with Johnny Gandelsman, July 2025
Photo: Christopher Duggan