Feb. 16, 2023
Contact Martha Boehm at 608-796-3733 or maboehm@viterbo.edu
THE BLACK VIOLIN EXPERIENCE TOUR COMES TO VITERBO UNIVERSITY MARCH 3
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Enjoy a concert performance that boldly merges centuries of music and unites audiences with a message of hope and possibility as The Black Violin Experience Tour comes to the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 3.
The tour showcases the two-time Grammy nominated duo Black Violin, Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste, invoking a mystifying musical fusion of exquisite classical sounds and exhilarating hip-hop beats. Fans can expect to be immersed in a sound that transcends categories and celebrates ingenuity and ambition, proving anything is possible.
Marcus will give an electrifying violin performance along with Baptiste’s magnetizing viola and vocal performance. Joining them are Nat Stokes on drums, DJ SPS 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.
Black Violin has given sold out performances at venues across the country, including a two-night headline run at The Kennedy Center in 2018. Nominated for two Grammy Awards, according to NPR, “their music will keep classical music alive for the next generation.”
Black Violin has plays roughly 200 shows a year; many of which are performances for young, low-income students in urban communities. 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. For more information about the duo, visit http://www.blackviolin.net.
This performance is sponsored by Gundersen Health System, Wisconsin Public Radio, and Explore La Crosse. It is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tickets are $42 for main floor, $38 for lower balcony, and $32 for upper balcony seating, plus taxes and fees. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Viterbo box office at 608-796-3100 or visit www.viterbo.edu/tickets.
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Photo: Will Baptiste and Kev Marcus. Credit: Mark Clennon.