Hip-Hop Duo Black Violin Joins GR Symphony For Annual SYMPHONY OF SOUL

Violinist Kevin Sylvester and violist Wilner Baptiste went to college to study classical music and learn their craft. But when they returned home to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, "Kev Marcus" and "Wil B" began covering hip-hop songs on their instruments as Black Violin.

Soon they were invited to appear with Alicia Keys at the 2004 Billboard Awards, and two years after first sending an audition tape to Showtime at the Apollo, they were invited to compete and promptly won the competition. Black Violin was on its way.

The classical and hip-hop crossover duo joins the Grand Rapids Symphony for its 18th annual Symphony with Soul at 8 p.m., Saturday, February 16 in DeVos Performance Hall. Concert sponsor is Steelcase, Inc., and Guest Artist Sponsor is Ferris State University.

Associate Conductor John Varineau leads the Grand Rapids Symphony in the evening of gospel, spirituals, jazz, blues, and R&B, celebrating diversity and inclusion in West Michigan, featuring community musicians joining together with nationally renowned artists to perform for the wider community. Symphony with Soul also features the Grand Rapids Symphony Community Chorus, a vocal ensemble that sings in the gospel tradition, led by Duane Shields Davis.

Raised on a steady diet of both hip hop and classical music, Kev Marcus and Wil B have built a musical style all their own that's often described as "classical boom." Black Violin uses music to break down stereotypes and cultural barriers, one gig at a time.

Known for a "hard-hitting beat with lush string sounds," Black Violin has toured with Kanye West, Jay- Z and Linkin Park and has collaborated with Aerosmith, Wynton Marsalis and Elvis Costello. In January 2013, they performed for President Barack Obama at his Second Inauguration.

Performers for Symphony with Soul include young musicians from the Grand Rapids Symphony's Mosaic Scholarship Program for talented African-American and Latinx students. The program provides teenage students with one-on-one lessons with a Grand Rapids Symphony musician plus the use of a musical instrument, music, supplies, and tickets to Grand Rapids Symphony concerts at no cost to the student.

Opening the program is the anthem "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing." First performed in 1900 by a group of 500 school children for President Lincoln's birthday celebration, the cherished song of the Civil Rights Movement is the traditional opener for the community celebration in DeVos Hall.

Each year, Symphony with Soul is preceded by Celebration of Soul, a gala dinner honoring the accomplishments of individuals and organizations in the community that emphasize and celebrate the importance of cultural awareness and inclusion in West Michigan. Gala sponsor is Meijer, Inc.

This year's recipients of the Dr. MaLinda P. Sapp Legacy Award are architect, business owner and jazz musician Isaac V. Norris; Grand Rapids Symphony Associate Conductor John Varineau; and retired educator, photographer and musician Noel Webley, Jr. Each is a leader in successfully advancing multiculturalism and multicultural awareness in their profession or industry and is a role model of consistent, creative encouragement in the community to become more culturally competent. Sponsor of the Dr. MaLinda P. Sapp Legacy Award is Kate Pew Wolters.

A limited licensed psychologist, licensed counselor and college professor, Dr. MaLinda P. Sapp was co- pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, along with her husband, gospel artist Marvin Sapp. Prior to her death in 2010, Dr. Sapp was awarded the Grand Rapids Symphony's Celebration of Soul Legacy Award. The award was renamed posthumously in her honor.

Tickets for Symphony with Soul start at $18 and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across the street from Calder Plaza). Call (616) 454-9451 x 4 to order by phone. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum).

Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. or on the day of the concert beginning two hours before the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.

Full-time students of any age are able to purchase tickets for only $5 on the day of the concert by enrolling in the GRS Student Ticket program.

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