April 16, 2019
Music Hall – Springer Auditorium
“Black Violin upends cultural and musical stereotypes…an unexpected blend of classically trained musicianship and hip-hop beats and inventiveness.” – The Miami Herald
“Their music will keep classical music alive for the next generation.” – NPR
CINCINNATI, OH – This January, Black Violin hit the stage with their new 2019 Impossible Tour with over forty high-energy shows scheduled into the summer. The band makes its much-anticipated return to Cincinnati at Music Hall’s Springer Auditorium on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 7:30 PM as part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2018-19 Season.
Tickets are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center and Music Hall Ticket Offices. A student ticket price of $15 is available in select seating locations. Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available by calling (513) 977-4157.
Black Violin spent the latter half of 2018 touring, writing, and recording new music. The Impossible Tour began shortly after wrapping up their successful 2018 Classical Boom Tour, which consisted of more than ninety concerts and included back-to-back sold out performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
Black Violin is currently writing and recording their next studio album, expected to be released late this summer. The band recently released their track “Dreamer,” and shortly after, released an accompanying video. Black Violin’s last record, Stereotypes, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart and #4 on the Billboard R&B Chart. NPR praised the album and band, saying “their music will keep classical music alive for the next generation.”
Black Violin is composed of both classically-trained violist Wil Baptiste and violinist Kev Marcus. The duo, from South Florida, began playing together in their high school orchestra class. After attending separate colleges, Kev and Wil reunited and decided to combine their classical training and love for hip-hop music, establishing a distinguished, genre-bending sound that has often been described as “classical boom.”
Creative collaborations include Kanye West, Wu-Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean, Lil Wayne, and Alicia Keys. In 2016, Black Violin composed music for FOX’s hit TV series Pitch and the group has made appearances on HBO’s Ballers, The Tonight Show, The Wendy Williams Show, The Ellen Show, and the 2016 Heisman Trophy Presentation on ESPN.
Black Violin are advocates for educational outreach and were announced as Turnaround Artists for Mary B. Bethune Elementary School in their hometown of Broward County, FL. Turnaround Arts, a national education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, infuses arts into struggling schools to support overall reform efforts. Founded by President Obama’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 2012, the program partners schools with music instrument grants, arts supplies, professional development, and musicals, and pairs each school with an artist to provide mentorship, inspiration, and support for the school’s journey in the program. Turnaround Artists include Elton John, Edward Norton, and Yo-Yo Ma, among other highly acclaimed members of the arts community. Additionally, Black Violin continues to perform for more than 100,000 students annually throughout North America and Europe.
Black Violin’s Impossible Tour will spread the message that anything is possible and there are no limits to what one can achieve, regardless of circumstance. The focus is positivity and encouragement. As Wil Baptiste puts it, “When you come to a Black Violin concert, there are so many people in the audience experiencing something together. To me, that’s what our show does, it brings people together. Not only that, you’re being inspired, you’re being uplifted, you’re able to see something you probably have never seen before.”
For more information, visit the Black Violin website at http://blackviolin.net.
CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION SPONSORS
SEASON SPONSORS: AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Honda Dealers, FURNITURE FAIR, LOCAL12 WKRC, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS: 21C Museum Hotel, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Courtyard Marriott & Residence Inn-Rookwood, Graphic Village, Heidelberg Distributing, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Cincinnati Downtown, Macy’s, Millennium Cincinnati, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, Ultimate Air Shuttle
BLACK VIOLIN PERFORMANCE SPONSOR: Tri-Health
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