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Black Violin: Black on Black Violins!

Black VIolin

One of the things we try to do is take in Black Culture when we can.  It does not matter if it is Comedy, Music & Entertainers, or Live Theater. We have traveled to take in Black Culture and seen it in Orlando our current city of residence. Why we have traveled to Philadelphia to see Janet Jackson.  After seeing Janet the first time in Orlando at the Amway Center. We went to Lakeland to see Prince when he was alive. We just like to take it in. Recently, we got a chance to see Black Violin. They are 2 young men who play a unique blend of classical and hip-hop music.   

Who is Black Violin?

The Black Violin is a 2 man group made up of Kevin Sylvester and Wilner Baptiste.  The pair go by the stage names Kev Marcus and Wil B. Kev plays the violin, while Wil plays the viola.  The duos claim to fame is winning the famous Showtime at the Apollo in 2005.  Now 15 years later the 2 young men tour all over. Why this weekend they are performing at the Governor’s Gala for the Motion Picture  Awards. Better known as the Oscars.  

Local Venue

Black Violin performing at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Theater

We saw Black Violin in Orlando, Florida at the Bob Carr.  A twenty-four hundred seat theater in downtown Orlando. The Black Violin performed for about 90 minutes.  The show had a fast-moving pace and the crowd was into it. They performed many songs from the new CD entitled “Take the Stairs”.   The concert ended with the Black Violin playing with Members of the Orlando Youth Orchestra.

How to Make an Event Special

Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown Orlando
Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown Orlando

We wanted to make the event special.  So we created a Facebook Group and invited Friends  Our group ended up growing to 10 people. Including 3 children under the age of 13.  We planned dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. We decided to grab a hotel and stay downtown for the weekend.  Nikki and I were happy to return to the Crowne Plaza hotel. The same one we had stayed at in 2016 when we went to see Superstar Janet Jackson in Orlando.  We got dressed at the Crowne and took the hotel shuttle to the restaurant to meet up with the group.  

Group Dinner before the Event

Group Dinner before the Black Violin Show!

The dinner was really nice.  It was the atmosphere and the conversation with the others that made it so special.  We had excellent conversations. We discussed parenting, work, decorating houses, formal dining rooms and people acting up at funerals.  Oh, we had a ball. Our discussion was all about Black Culture and Black Life. There’s just something special about Black Culture.  

Children are our Future

We took the children to see the Black Violin because we wanted them to see something different.  It was important for our Black Children to see black people doing something positive and different.  The group Black Violin made classical music cool. They put a hip hop twist on some of the classics pieces of music.  Black Violin showed that it was cool to play the violin. Hopefully, inspiring a new group of young violinists.

Black Violin performing with Members of the Orlando Youth Orchestra!

The children that we took with us enjoyed themselves.  They truly liked Black Violin’s music. The kids were thoroughly engaged in the show.  Even more, the parents of the kids were happy. One said they were not sure what to expect however they were happy with the outcome.  She went on to say the Black Violin was entertaining. I thought the show was delightful. It was fun and exciting. The Duo put energy out to the crowd and got it back in return.  We would definitely go to see them again.  

The Black Violin Foundation

Black Violin
Bill & Nikki in front of the Black Violin Foundation Backdrop!

The Black Violin has a foundation dedicated to empowering youth by working with them in their communities to provide access to quality music programs that encourage creativity.  Their long term goal is to empower youth to color outside of the lines and push the boundaries of music through innovation. Black Violin understands the importance of learning all the fundamentals of music. The mission of the Foundation is to help up and coming musicians foster creativity in order to make music in a way it’s never been made before.

Conclusion

Black Violin
Black Violin performing in Orlando, FL

When we can we try to take in Black Culture.  It does not matter if it is Comedy, Music & Entertainers, or Live Theater.  We just take it in. For us, it does not matter if it is in town or out of town.  We are willing to travel to experience positive Black Culture. The Black Violin concert gave us that chance.  Our Group was pleasantly surprised as we really didn’t know what to expect. We read reviews online however the performance exceeded all expectations we had and left us wanting more of them and more Black Culture.

Other related stories:

All about Jamaica

Cancun is not just for Spring Break

Cabo San Luca, the Perfect Getaway!

The how and why to Black Adult Travel

See more on our Social Media “Blacks who Travel” 

Follow us on Instagram @ Blacks Who Travel

YouTube Channel for Blacks Who Travel

Blacks Who Travel‘s YouTube Channel

Link to Blacks Who Travel Facebook Page

Blacks Who Travel Facebook Page


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Bill Collins

Bill Collins is a former Army Officer turned veteran traveler. I have traveled to 34 different Countries mainly concentrated in Central & Latin America and have spent the last 16 years exploring the Caribbean Islands.

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