“It’s a party, so sing along, make noise, get out of your seats and dance!” announced the Black Violin hip-hop duo at its sensational performance last Saturday. A lively mood kicked off the show, with violist Will-B weaving through the audience fiddling. Will-B and violinist Kevin Marcus played a mix of Rihanna, Trey Songz and Beyoncé, to get the audience clapping, singing along and dancing to the beat the whole time. Jonathan Westling ’12 said, “Black Violin…got the crowd interested in the show by playing music we actually wanted to hear.” A highlight of the performance was when Will-B and Marcus tricked the audience that a special guest with “a perfect voice” and “awesome beauty” was gracing the stage. In confused excitement, audience members turned around in their seats, hoping to spot this guest performer. It turned out that Will-B was jokingly referring to his fiddle that he named “Tiffany.” The Black Violin duo got very creative when it decided to improvise. DJ “TK” was spinning in the background as Marcus plucked his instrument’s strings as if playing guitar. The group kept the audience clapping to the rhythm throughout the performance and blended melodies flawlessly. Annie Pates ’10 said, “It was cool how they could work together so well, and it was…apparent that they worked together for so long.” The two musicians have played together for a total of fifteen years, beginning from their high school years when they were in the same orchestra class. In the past few years, Black Violin has performed with artists such as Alicia Keys, 50 cent, Lincoln Park, Kanye West and Lil Weezy. To stir up some competition, the duo divided audience members and had them vote on which violinist was the superior musician. The left side of audience was designated to cheer on Marcus as he performed a solo, while the right side was meant to support Will-B. In the end, DJ “TK” declared Will-B the winner, though the audience loved both solos. Impressed with the audience’s enthusiasm, Black Violin decided to offer a preview of its new album titled “Dirty Orchestra.” The preview began with a sample of a hip-hop accompaniment, R & B and classical accompaniments. The audience members had never seen the violin played in such an original manner and adored every second of the performance. Many viewers were convinced to purchase the album later. The show ended with a bang as the audience was encouraged to just clap out the beat to the violin and viola accompaniment to “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. Everyone was on their feet, singing along and swaying passionately to the music.
