Blues to Bach: A Conversation with Violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins

Internationally acclaimed violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins brings her signature blend of classical mastery and soulful expression to Bach Society Houston for Blues to Bach: Kelly Hall-Tompkins in Concert on Saturday, November 8, 2025 (3:00–4:30 PM) at Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Renowned for her versatility and social impact, Hall-Tompkins has performed with major orchestras around the world, from the New York Philharmonic to Carnegie Hall, and is celebrated for founding Music Kitchen – Food for the Soul, an innovative program that has delivered over 100 live chamber performances to more than 18,000 people experiencing homelessness.

Blues to Bach: Kelly Hall-Tompkins in Concert

Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 3:00–4:30 PM

Christ the King Lutheran Church

2353 Rice Blvd., Houston, TX 77005

Pay-What-You-Wish Tickets: $35 suggested; $10 students

www.bachsocietyhouston.org/2025-2026season

PROGRAM

PART I

• Johann Sebastian Bach — Sonata No. 2 in A Major for Violin and Harpsichord

• Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson — Louisiana Blues Strut (solo, unaccompanied)

• Johann Sebastian Bach — Sonata No. 1 in B Minor for Violin and Harpsichord

• Ellen Taaffe Zwilich — A Little Violin Music in Memory of Elijah McClain (solo, unaccompanied)

• Daniel Bernard Roumain — Filter (solo, unaccompanied)

Intermission

PART II

• Johann Sebastian Bach — Sonata No. 3 in C Major for Unaccompanied Violin

• Lili Boulanger — Nocturne and Cortège (Violin and Piano)

• Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, arr. Oran Eldor — Fiddler Rhapsody (Violin and Piano)

Ahead of her Houston performance, Kelly Hall-Tompkins shared her thoughts with Bach Society Houston about bridging genres, her lifelong connection to Bach, and the role of music as a force for healing and community.

⸻Your concert in Houston is titled Blues to Bach. What inspired this musical journey that bridges classical and jazz traditions? 

Kelly Hall-Tompkins (KHT): Growing up Lutheran, the music of Bach is such a foundational part of my musical and early violin-playing roots and remains deeply spiritual for me. But particularly in recent years, I’ve become known for boundary-pushing projects—from my Imagination music videos to time on Broadway and now my championing of the Wynton Marsalis Violin Concerto, which I’m performing around the world. I think it’s that piece, through which so much of my musical life comes together, that inspired me to create this program.

⸻How do you approach interpreting Bach’s music alongside works rooted in the blues or improvisation? 

KHT: I’ve always loved the long 1,200-year history of classical music—violinists get to play about 400 years of repertoire, beginning in the Baroque era around the time of Bach. Baroque generally and Bach specifically is a musical language that has always spoken to me deeply. In this program, I’m excited to explore the juxtaposition of that with 21st century voices from the African American spiritual tradition, which evolved into jazz.  Plus, there are many people who say that – had Bach live long enough – he would have been a terrific jazz musician!

⸻Are there particular composers or pieces in this program that feel especially personal or timely to you right now? 

KHT: Well, in addition to all that I have already said about my deep personal connection to Bach, I am particularly excited to play the two accompanied sonatas  with harpsichord for the first time.  I’ve always loved the color of the harpsichord and, in this unique program, it will serve even more to highlight the eclectic contrast between the works.  For the most of the contemporary works, with the exception of the Lili Boulanger, I have a personal connection to the composer:  I knew and worked directly with Coleridge Taylor Perkinson, Daniel Bernard Roumain and I are frequently in touch as champions of each other’s work, and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich is a dear friend and wrote the Elijah piece for me.  The Fiddler Rhapsody stems from my time on Broadway when I was thrilled to receive the blessings and imprimatur of the Jerry Bock Estate, lyricist Sheldon Harnick and to work with our creative team and arranger Oran Eldor on this arrangement.  Even with the Boulanger, I share a connection to her through the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau France, where her sister was one of the field’s most impactful pedagogues and I studied for a summer.  I’m really excited to have all of these works in my life.

⸻You founded Music Kitchen – Food for the Soul bringing live chamber music to people experiencing homelessness. How has that work influenced your relationship to music and performance?  

KHT: Music Kitchen audiences continue to show me how much power music has and that although I created it to have an impact on the shelter clients, the musicians’ experience of that impact affects us profoundly as well.

⸻What do you think classical institutions can learn from community-based projects like Music Kitchen? 

I think traditional classical presenters can learn from Music Kitchen that their audiences are much broader than they realize.  When music is presented at a high level of both artistry and accessibility, there are many in disenfranchised communities who are eager to be part of it.  It’s the right thing to do today of its own accord. Those audiences might have been part of your donor base yesterday;  they may well be so again tomorrow.

⸻You’ve performed on some of the world’s great stages — what excites you most about performing in an intimate setting like Christ the King Lutheran Church?

KHT: The church is exactly the setting where music first came alive for me, and was a big part of my inspiration to play the violin.  Additionally, I’m constantly reminded that no matter what instrument Bach was writing for, he was always an organist at heart.  The organ’s many timbres feature heavily into my interpretations, so being in the church environment is very inspiring to me.

⸻What do you hope Houston audiences will take away from Blues to Bach? 

KHT: I hope audiences will take away a uniquely expansive, fun, and inspiring journey—and, of course, the incredible healing power of music.

⸻Are there any upcoming collaborations or recordings you’re particularly excited about?

KHT:  I’m excited to play the Netherlands premiere of the Wynton Marsalis Violin Concerto later this month with Garrett Keast and the North Netherlands Symphony across three cities.  And I look forward to the release of an upcoming new album of the Jeff Beal Violin Concerto written for me, entitled Body In Motion, which we recently recorded with conductor Leonard Slatkin and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.  And it’s always a joy to collaborate with Carnegie Hall, this time on a special limited-time streaming showcase of Music Kitchen’s short film Face to Face: Forgotten Voices Heard.  Sign up to receive my newsletter for details!

QUICK TAKES BY KELLY HALL-TOMPKINS

• Her favorite violin: The Guarneri Del Gesu ex Kaston (“I played it for a year—later it sold for $6 million.”)

• Her dream collaboration: Violinist David Oistrakh

• Music that never fails to move her: Brahms G Major String Sextet

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Internationally celebrated violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins has been acclaimed by The New York Times for her “tonal mastery and radiant sensitivity.” She has appeared as soloist with the Dallas Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and the Philharmonic of Poland, among others, and served as the “Fiddler” in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof.

A passionate advocate for social impact in the arts, she founded Music Kitchen – Food for the Soul in 2005, the first organization of its kind to bring top caliber classical chamber music concerts to homeless shelters in New York. For the past two decades, she has brought live chamber music to audiences experiencing homelessness in over 100 concerts worldwide. Her work has been featured by CBS Sunday Morning, The New York Times, and the BBC World Service.