Black Violin WOWs SSHS
SARATOGA SPRINGS – “We have never had a production in our district of this scope before.”
So stated Milton Lee, Head of the music department at Saratoga Springs High School. He was referring to the Monday, April 9 appearance of the acclaimed genre-defying duo, Black Violin, held free in-school performances at Saratoga Springs High School for the entire student body – approximately 2,000 students. The fun, interactive presentation, part of Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s robust education programs, was geared toward introducing children to different genres and teaching students the fundamentals of classical music.
“This is a group of national notoriety and they brought their complete production.” Lee continued. “The Black Violin brought our students a wonderful combination of Pop, Hip Hop, and Classical Music combined with a positive and uplifting story to share with the students.”
Black Violin has spent the last decade working to encourage and empower people of all ages, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, spreading a message that challenges the world’s view of what it means to rise above labels and inspiring fans to follow their passion. In the past year alone, the group has played for nearly 100,000 students and over 125 public shows across the US and Europe.
“We were ecstatic to share the incredible talent of Black Violin with the entire student body of Saratoga Springs High School for an immersive and inspiring concert experience. The hip-hop meets classical duo aims to encourage, inspire and empower kids with a message about breaking stereotypes. And inspire students they did! The performances got kids up from their seats and dancing in the aisles — experiencing world-class violinists playing Bach mixed with Cardi B’s hip-hop beats and lyrics from an Ed Sheeran pop-ballad – all while absorbing the artists’ powerful message about rising above labels,” said Elizabeth Sobol, President + CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “While Black Violin is sold-out for our popular ‘SPAC on Stage’ series, there are still limited tickets available for our other genre-crossing artists joining the series.”
The duo has risen to fame with a style of music that combines classical, hip-hop and R&B. The musicians have appeared at President Obama’s Inaugural and three Super Bowls. They’ve also collaborated with a who’s who of music superstars, including Kanye West, the Eagles, Tom Petty, Aerosmith and Aretha Franklin. In 2015, the band released their major label debut Stereotypes which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart and #4 on the Billboard R+B Chart. The duo has also been profiled extensively by the media including by NPR’s Morning Edition.
