Bassist Brings Bach To Unconventional Spaces, Like War-Torn Countries And Prison Inmates

By Amanda Magnus,

Frank Stasio

Published March 6, 2018 at 12:54 PM EST

photo of Dobbs playing the double bass for a group of children

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Dobbs bringing Bach to a group of children in Uganda.

Courtesy of Bach With Verse

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Dobbs performing at a school for girls in Afghanistan.

Courtesy of Bach With Verse

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Dobbs playing for people at a Syrian refugee camp.

Courtesy of Bach With Verse

Richard Hartshorne, known internationally as “Dobbs,” left the classical music world in 2004 to play Bach for audiences who do not usually have access to it. The double bassist founded “Bach With Verse,” a non-profit that brings music to audiences that otherwise would not get it. Dobbs has played in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, and in prisons around the United States.

photo of Richard 'Dobbs' Hartshorne — Dobbs is the founder of Bach with Verse, which brings classical music to a diverse range of audiences around the world.

Host Frank Stasio talks to Dobbs about why he created Bach with Verse and what audiences experience when they listen to him play. Dobbs also performs live in studio. Dobbs is in the state as part of the North Carolina Bach Festival. He performs Tuesday, March 6 at Red Oak’s Lager Haus and Biergarten in Whitsett.