ATHENS, Ga. —UGA Presents is bringing Black Violin to Athens Mar. 7 for a 7:30 p.m. performance in Hodgson Concert Hall. Led by violist Wil B. and violinist Kev Marcus, Black Violin blends classical and hip-hop music to overcome stereotypes. The classically trained strings players are joined onstage by DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes in a high-energy concert that encourages people of all backgrounds to come together to break down cultural barriers.
Black Violin has collaborated with artists such as Kanye West, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Wu-Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean and Alicia Keys. The band was featured by ESPN as the official artist of the 2017 US Tennis Open as well as the 2016 and 2017 Heisman Trophy Award ceremonies.
The group has appeared on The Tonight Show, Ellen, The Wendy William’s Show, NPR and more. Black Violin’s most recent album, Stereotypes, hit #1 on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart and #4 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
Black Violin, alongside artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Elton John, recently joined with Turnaround Arts to bring arts education to struggling schools in underserved communities. Turnaround Arts is a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts founded by President Obama’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 2012.
Tickets for the concert start at $30 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400. A limited number of discounted tickets are available to current UGA students for $10 with a valid UGA ID (limit one ticket per student).
The concert is sponsored by Brad and Vera Tucker. This performance is funded, in part, by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Georgia Council for the Arts. Additional support is provided by the Willson Center for Humanities & Arts.
Patrons are invited to make it an evening with a tour and free dessert at the Georgia Museum of Art at 5:30 p.m.
Hodgson Concert Hall is located in the UGA Performing Arts Center at 230 River Road in Athens.