New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Take one violin, one viola, add a DJ and a drum kit, and you have Black Violin, the hip-hop, Brahms-playing quartet who have shared stages with Kanye West, Aerosmith and Tom Petty, and collaborated with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan and Alicia Keys. They return to The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center on Friday, April 6 at 8:00 p.m, where they are as likely to improv a Top 40 club hit as they are to perform with the virtuosity of concert soloists. Tickets range from $22 to $35, and can be purchased by calling 508-994-2900, online at Zeiterion.org, or at the Zeiterion Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 508-997-5664 x123.
Black Violin is composed of classically trained violist and violinist Wil B. And Kev Marcus, who fuse their classical training and hip-hop influences to create a distinctive multi-genre sound that is often described as “classical boom.” In the mid-2000s, these two long-time classmates reluctantly discovered instrumental music in school and turned their hobby into a thriving career. After attending college on music scholarships, the duo formed a band that would eventually travel the globe and perform with many Top 40 artists. Their music has enthralled audiences from London to Milan to Dubai, and millions of viewers on YouTube.
They’ve composed music for the television series Pitch which debuted on FOX in 2016, in addition to appearances on HBO’s Ballers, The Tonight Show, The Wendy Williams Show, and The Ellen Show.
Black Violin is currently writing and recording their next studio album, due out in 2018. The band’s most recent 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.”
In December, Black Violin was announced as the Turnaround Artist 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, 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.
In addition, Black Violin has performed for more than 100,000 students in the past 12 months throughout North America and Europe. The band is endorsed by Yamaha Music, and has partnered with the National Association for Music Manufacturers (NAMM) to continue their advocacy for accessible music education.
The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide New Bedford and the region with performing arts programming of excellence that inspires, educates, engages and entertains. Tickets are available for purchase at www.zeiterion.org, by calling 508-994-2900, or in person at the box office at 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford, Mass. Zeiterion Box Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and two hours before each performance.
Web: http://blackviolin.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackViolinMusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackviolin
Black Violin’s Classical Boom Tour
1/25 — Fort Lauderdale, FL — Broward Center for the Performing Arts
1/27 — Ponte Vedra Beach, FL — Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
2/1 — Tampa, FL — Stratz Center for the Arts
2/10 — Avon Park, FL — South Florida Community College
2/16 — Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA — Sunset Center
2/17 — San Luis Obispo, CA — Cal Poly Arts Christopher Cohan Center
2/18 — Orange, CA — Musco Center
2/20 — Los Angeles, CA — Royce Hall at UCLA
2/21 — Lancaster, CA — Lancaster Performing Arts Center
2/22 — Escondido, CA — California Center for the Arts
2/23 — Chandler, AZ — Chandler Center for the Arts
2/24 — Las Vegas, NV — Artemus Ham Concert Hall at UNLV
2/26 — Logan, UT — Cache Valley Center for the Arts
2/27 — Salt Lake City, UT — Kingsbury Hall at University of Utah
3/1 — Sante Fe, NM — The Lensic Performing Arts Center
3/2 — Las Vegas, NM — Ilfeld Auditorium at NMHU
3/7 — Austin, TX — Long Center for the Performing Arts
3/9 — Dallas, TX — AT&T Performing Arts Center
3/10 — Houston, TX — Cullen Performance Hall at UH
3/11 — Midland, TX — Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
4/4 — Washington, DC — Kennedy Center *with NSO*
4/6 — New Bedford, MA — Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
4/7 — Boston, MA — Berklee Performance Center
4/11 — Englewood, NJ — Bergen Performing Arts Center
4/12 — New Brunswick, NJ — State Theatre New Jersey
4/13 — Troy, NY — Troy Music Hall
4/14 — Buffalo, NY — Buffalo State Performing Arts Center
4/19 — Richmond, KY — Eastern Kentucky University Center
4/20 — Boone, NC — Appalachian State University
4/21 — Florence, SC — Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center
4/22 — Atlanta, GA — Atlanta Symphony Hall *with GYSO*
4/24 — High Point, NC — High Point Theatre
4/26 — Nashville, TN — War Memorial Auditorium at Tennessee PAC
4/27 — Memphis, TN — Orpheum Theatre
5/2 — Cedar Falls, IA — Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center
5/3 — Madison, WI — Capitol Theater at Overture Center
5/4 — Kalamazoo, MI — Miller Auditorium
5/5 — Flint, MI —The Whiting
