Black Violin Blends Hip Hop, Classical Styles In Joliet Performance

JOLIET, IL — Black Violin, a twice-Grammy-nominated performer, will bring its unique musical stylings that combine classical music sounds and hip-hop beats to Joliet for a performance next week.

The duo from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which has been performing for more than 20 years will perform at the Rialto Square Theater at 7:30 p.m. on March 20. Tickets range in price from $34 to $54 and are available on Ticketmaster.

Black Violin has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals and building bridges in communities along the way, according to a news release put out by the Joliet Fine Arts venue. Black Violin 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 2019 album release, "Take the Stairs", earned a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album”. The band also recently received their second-ever Grammy Award nomination for the track “The Message” as Best Americana Performance, in collaboration with The Blind Boys of Alabama.

The Black Violin Experience Tour showcases the two-time Grammy-nominated duo Black Violin, which is brought to life by Marcus and Baptiste, invoking a mystifying musical fusion of exquisite classical sounds and exhilarating hip-hop beats, the news release said. A concert performance that boldly merges centuries of music and unites audiences with a message of hope and possibility. Fans can expect to be immersed in a sound that transcends categories and celebrates ingenuity and ambition, proving anything is possible.

On stage, Marcus gives an electrifying violin performance along with Wil Baptiste’s magnetizing viola and vocal performance. Joining them are Nat Stokes on drums, DJ SPS on the turntable, and Liston Gregory on keys. Together they are reconceptualizing what a violin concert looks and sounds like, building bridges to a place where Mozart, Marvin Gaye, and Kendrick Lamar harmoniously coexist.

More information about Black Violin can be found on the group's website.