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Tuesday Feb. 8, 1 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 9, 9:45 a.m.
trained violin and viola Black Violin is a classically , along with DJ TK, duo. Kev Marcus and Wil-B th classical and hip-hop perform arrangements of bo n sense of style. songs while adding their ow ir Violin first learned to play the When the members of Black and old rs yea 14 at a viol on the signature instruments—Wil-B could the tender age of 9—neither at in viol the on s rcu Ma Kev it ugh tho od, become their liveliho have foreseen that it would ives nat rida Flo two passion. The was already becoming their ing Dillard High School of Perform the ng ndi atte le whi t first me sic mu l ool whose exceptiona Arts in Fort Lauderdale, a sch ir already budding talents. the ture nur to programs served
It was not until the two were exposed to the work of legendary violinist Stuff Smith that the seeds that would one day become Black Violin were truly planted. Smith, born in 1909, was a pre-eminent jazz violinist of the swing era, and performed with jazz greats like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Sun Ra throughout his career. His final and most soulful album, Black Violin, so inspired and influenced Kev Marcus and Wil-B that they named their band in honor of the man who showed them that there are no limits to what the violin can do.
Now in their own unique career, Black Violin’s primary goal is to give young people the same opportunities in music the y had. Kev and Wil have embarked on a campaign of social change working with youth orchestras and music programs to show young people that they are capable of expressin g themselves in ways they have never dreamed of.