Black Violin to Perform at Heritage Center
Aug 24, 2017
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Black Violin will bring their U.S. Classical Boom Tour to the University of Dubuque on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. as part of the fifth annual Live at Heritage Center Performing Arts Series. The tour is a follow-up to the revolutionary music group’s successful Unity Tour, which saw 28 sold-out public performances. Black Violin is returning to Heritage Center by popular demand after they performed as part of Heritage Center’s grand opening festivities in May 2013.
WHAT: Live at Heritage Center Performing Arts Series – Black Violin
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 21 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: John and Alice Butler Hall, Heritage Center, University of Dubuque
TICKETS: $25-$30 adults, $21-$25 UD alumni, $15 child/student
To Black Violin, jazz, hip-hop, funk, and classical music are more than just musical genres – they’re ingredients. The group has managed to blend the classical with the modern to create a sound that audiences have never heard.
After serving as the house band for ESPN’s hosted 82nd annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Presentation, the network recently selected Black Violin’s track “Stereotypes” to promote the 2017 U.S. Open. The tennis tournament will be exclusively televised on ESPN Aug. 28 to Sept. 10, with television and online commercials featuring Black Violin airing now. View the promo here https://vimeo.com/229917369.
Black Violin is currently writing and recording their next studio album, due out in 2018. The band’s most recent record, Stereotypes, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart and No. 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 classically trained violist and violinist Wil B. and Kev Marcus, who combine their classical training and hip-hop influences to create a distinctive multi-genre sound that is often described as “classical boom.” Black Violin has shared stages top names including Kanye West, Aerosmith, and Tom Petty, and the duo has collaborated with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean, and Alicia Keys. Black Violin composed music for the television show Pitch, which debuted on Fox in 2016, in addition to appearing on HBO’s Ballers, The Tonight Show, Tavis Smiley Show, The Wendy Williams Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In addition to their public concerts, 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 Merchants (NAMM) to continue their advocacy for accessible music education.
A free CyberCafé Knapp Stage concert from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. featuring local trio, Stolen Grace, precedes the performance. Led by UD alumna Tiffiney Kavars (C’14, MBA’16), who was named WJOD and Country on the River’s 2015 Next Big Star, the cover band performs the latest pop, rock, and alternative hits. The acoustic vocals are joined by Zach Johnson on guitar and Jake Ramos, of Autumn Reverie, on the Cajon. Collectively the members of the group have performed across the Midwest and opened for artists such as Third Eye Blind, Eli Young Band, John Anderson, Shinedown, Seether, and Papa Roach.
Tickets for Black Violincan be purchased Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Farber Box Office, Heritage Center, University of Dubuque, 2255 Bennett Street; by phone at 563.585.SHOW; or online at www.dbq.edu/heritagecenter.
