Bach Around The Clock is delighted to welcome Madison cellist, James Waldo, who will be the clinician for our 2026 Cello Masterclass on Thursday March 7th.

Cellist James Waldo is an active chamber musician and educator. A specialist on baroque cello and viola da gamba, Waldo performs regularly with the Madison Bach Musicians. James completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2020 under the tutelage of Uri Vardi at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mead Witter School of Music. He received his Master of Music and Artist Diploma with Timothy Eddy at Mannes College, where he was recipient of the Gregory Award for Excellence in Performance. A native of Minnesota, James now resides in Madison with his wife and daughters. In addition to a busy performing schedule, James is a member of the music faculty at Madison Country Day School.

Equally at ease on historical and modern instruments, James has performed, toured, and recorded with numerous ensembles, including LeStrange Viols, the orchestral folk ensemble Spirits of the Red City, and the cello-piano team A.W.Duo, alongside his spouse, Alyona A. Waldo. James has recently spent summers playing for the Midsummer’s Music Festival in Door County.  Notable early music collaborations include performances with Monica Huggett (Salon/Sanctuary Concert series of New York City), Pomerium, and the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra. Waldo is a co-founder of Listen Closely, (listenclose.ly) an uptown Manhattan chamber music collective now in its sixth season. A regular grant-recipient from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the organization has presented over fifty community concerts in uptown Manhattan. Waldo serves as principal cellist of the award-winning Cecilia Chorus of New York, performing in Carnegie Hall each winter and spring.