Black Violin Comes to CAPA in March 2024

CAPA welcomes classical-meets-hip-hop duo Black Violin to Columbus as part of the group's “The Black Violin Experience” national tour. Black Violin will perform at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) at 7 pm Sunday, March 24.

The tour follows their most recent GRAMMY Award nomination, this time for Best Americana Performance, for “The Message,” a collaboration with Blind Boys of Alabama.

Tickets start at $25.50 and may be purchased at the CBUSArts Ticket Center at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.), online at www.capa.com or www.CBUSArts.com, and by phone at (614) 469-0939.

“The Black Violin Experience” Tour showcases the two-time Grammy nominated duo Black Violin, brought to life by Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste, invoking a mystifying musical fusion of exquisite classical sounds and exhilarating hip-hop beats. 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, Kev Marcus gives an electrifying violin performance along with Wil Baptiste's magnetizing viola and vocal performance. Joining them are Nat Stokes on drums, DJSPS 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. 

For nearly two decades, Black Violin has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals, building bridges in communities along the way. Marcus and 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.

In 2019, 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.

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