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Black Violin, led by classically trained strings Wil B. and Kev Marcus, brings the “Give Thanks Tour,” to the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts Friday night.
They were joined on stage by DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes.
The band’s Give Thanks Tour uses playful storytelling, quirky string melodies and bold beats to highlight the pillars of the holiday season: Giving back and giving heartfelt thanks.
The show is at 7:30 pm at the Ford Center. Tickets range from $20 to $50 and can be purchased online.
Fans can expect to dance to hits from the band’s Grammy-nominated “Take the Stairs” album as well as holiday favorites from their “Give Thanks” album.
This is the second time the Black Violin has been in Oxford and Marcus said he is looking forward to returning.
“We played at Ole Miss, in the Student Union I think. It was a long time ago,” Marcus said. “But we always look forward to going to Mississippi and rocking out.”
Marcus described Friday’s show as “a meal and not a snack.”
“There’s really nothing like us,” he said. “People can expect to see and hear something they’ve never heard before. It’s a bit of classical meets holiday meets hip-hop meets pop – a beautiful mixing, melting pot of goodness.”
Marcus said the show will also bring a message of unity, thinking differently and breaking stereotypes.
“All those themes are woven throughout the show,” he said.
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.
After college, they reunited to make beats for South Florida rappers and began building an audience in local clubs. They later won Showtime at the Apollo in 2005, and later sold out headline performances at venues across the country, including a sold-out two-night headline run at The Kennedy Center in 2018.
Black Violin’s latest release, Take the Stairs, earned a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.”
Before the pandemic, Black Violin was playing over 200 shows a year (many of which were performances for young, low-income students in urban communities – last year alone, the group played for more than 100,000 students) with the aim of challenging stereotypes and preconceived notions of what a “classical musician” looks and sounds like.
“Stereotypes have always been there, deeply embedded in our culture,” Wil said. “By the nature of our existence, we challenge those ideas. It’s a unique thing that brings people together who wouldn’t normally be in the same room, and in the current climate, it’s good to bring people together. ”
Black Violin was just nominated for another Grammy for the work they did with the Blind Boys of Alabama.
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 defined by race, gender, or socioeconomic status. The Black Violin Foundation’s inaugural Musical Innovation Grant for Continuing Education program will provide scholarships to young music students to attend a program of their choice that fosters creativity and innovation in music.
For more information on Black Violin, visit https://blackviolin.net/.
News Editor Alyssa Schnugg contributed to this story.
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