Black Violin to Release New Album “Take The Stairs”

Melding Aggressive Beats and Classical Instrumentation,
Black Violin Releases New Single “One Step”

Genre Defying Album Take The Stairs Out 11/1

Black Violin combine aggressive beats with the drama of classical music on their new single “One Step,” taken from their upcoming album Take The Stairs out November 1st. Continuing to break down barriers between genres, the duo says that “One Step” “could be a rock record, straight up alternative”.

For 16 years, Black Violin members Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste have been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals. The two met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale, becoming classically trained on the violin and viola through their high school and college careers. Post-college, they reconvened to produce beats for South Florida rappers, and began building an audience in local clubs. They later went on to win Showtime at the Apollo in 2005, and eventually sold out headline performances at venues across the country, including a sold out two-night headline run at The Kennedy Center in 2018. Their unique brand of merging the genre they were listening to (hip hop) with the world they were studying (classical) was celebrated with collaborations with Alicia Keys, Wu Tang Clan, 2 Chainz and others.

The duo plays over 200 shows a year (many of these are performances for young low-income students in urban communities – in the last year alone, the group played for over 100,000 students) with the goal of challenging stereotypes and preconceived notions of what a “classical musician” looks and sounds like. “The stereotypes are always there, embedded so deep in our culture,” says Wil. “Just by nature of our existence we challenge those ideas. It’s a unique thing that brings people together who aren’t usually in the same room, and in the current climate, it’s good to bring people together.”

Photo Credit: Mark Clennon

Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Official Website

Tracklisting:
1. Rise
2. One Step
3. Showoff
4. Unbreakable
5. Lost In The Garden
6. Serenade
7. Dreamer
8. Spaz
9. New Life
10. Al Green
11. Impossible Is Possible
12. A Way Home
13. Elgar Nimrod

Tour Dates:
10.11.19 – Hartford, CT – Bushnell Center for Performing Arts
10.12.19 – Keene, NH – Colonial Theater
10.13.19 – Johnson, VT – Catamount Film & Arts
10.16.19 – East Lansing, MI – Wharton Center for Performing Arts
10.17.19 – Bloomington, IL – Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
10.19.19 – Lawrence, KS – Lied Center of Kansas
10.23.19 – Fort Wayne, IN – Embassy Theater
10.24.19 – Wausau, WI – Grand Theater
10.25.19 – Madison, WI – Overture Hall
11.2.19 – York, PA – Strand Theatre
11.3.19 – Columbus, OH – Ohio Theatre
11.5.19 – Dayton, OH – Victoria Theatre Association
11.6.19 – Toledo, OH – Valentine Theatre
11.7.19 – Rochester, NY – Kodak Center Theater
11.8.19 – Philadelphia, PA – Kimmel Center Academy of Music
11.9.19 – Baltimore, MD – Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
11.14.19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Oklahoma City Community College PAC
11.15.19 – Little Rock, AR – University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College
11.17.19 – St. Louis, MO – Touhill PAC
1.14.20 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theater Denver
1.17.20 – Logan, UT – Cache Valley Center for the Arts
1.18.20 – Durango, CO – Fort Lewis College Concert Hall
1.20.20 – Boise, ID – Egyptian Theater
1.21.20 – Salt Lake, UT – Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah
1.28.20 – Santa Barbara, CA – Granada Theatre – USB Arts & Lectures
1.31.20 – Chandler, AZ – Chandler Center for the Arts
2.1.20 – Wickenburg, AZ – Del E Webb Center for the Performing Arts
2.8.20 – Orlando, FL – Bob Carr Theatre – Dr. Philips Center
2.12.20 – Fort Myers, FL – Barbra B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
2.13.20 – Tallahassee, FL – Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
2.14.20 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
2.20.20 – Tampa, FL – Straz Center for the Performing Arts
2.21.20 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center for the Performing Arts
2.27.20 – San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
3.1.20 – Sacramento, CA – The Crest Theatre
3.5.20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre at the Ace Hotel
3.6.20 – Escondido, CA – California Center for the Arts
3.27.20 – Purchase, NY – PAC at Purchase College
4.7.20 – Houston, TX – Jones Hall, Society for the Performing Arts
5.6.20 – Portland, OR – Portland’5 Keller Auditorium
5.7.20 – Eugene, OR – Hult Center for the Performing Arts