Doors 7:00 Show 8:00 PM
For 17 years, Black Violin has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals and building bridges in communities along the way. Members Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste first met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, becoming classically trained on the violin and viola through their high school and college careers. Post-college, they reconvened to produce beats for South Florida rappers, and began building an audience in local clubs. They later went on to win Showtime at the Apollo in 2005, and eventually sold out headline performances at venues across the country, including a sold out two-night headline run at The Kennedy Center in 2018. NPR took note and declared “their music will keep classical music alive for the next generation.” Black Violin’s latest release, Take the Stairs, earned a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album”.
Pre-pandemic, Black Violin was playing over 200 shows a year (many of these are performances for young low-income students in urban communities – in the last year alone, the group played for over 100,000 students) with the goal of challenging stereotypes and preconceived notions of what a “classical musician” looks and sounds like. “The stereotypes are always there, embedded so deep in our culture,” says Wil. “Just by nature of our existence we challenge those ideas. It’s a unique thing that brings people together who aren’t usually in the same room, and in the current climate, it’s good to bring people together.”
Last year, the group launched the Black Violin Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering youth by providing access to quality music programs in their community. BVF believes that music and access to music programs should not be determined by race, gender, or socio-economic status. Black Violin Foundation’s inaugural program the Musical Innovation Grant for Continuing Education will provide scholarships to young music students to attend a program of their liking that fosters musical creativity and innovation.
In compliance with orders from the Public Health Officer, fans must agree to the terms below prior to ticket purchases and event entry. Please note these confirmations will apply to all members of your party before they are allowed to enter the event and to any users of the tickets purchased by you. By purchasing tickets for this event, I confirm that at the time of the event I will have been fully vaccinated (7days past final vaccination shot). Fans under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult with proof of full vaccination. Unvaccinated fans 12 years of age and older will not be eligible for entry. Following orders from the Provincial Health Officer, fans are required to wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. Entry requirements subject to change. https://mrglive.com/covidfaqs/
