Troy youths attend special concert
Collar City youths attend special music hall performance
TROY, N. Y. » Several dozen local youths were able to see and enjoy a special performance this past weekend.
Thanks to several donations, Billy Carter of the Kingdom Ministries youth group in Troy and Jerry Ford of Team Helping Everyone Recognize Opportunity were able to bring youth members of their groups to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Friday night to see a performance by Black Violin.
Combining their classical training and hip- hop influences to create a distinctive multigenre sound that is often described as “classical boom,” Wil B. and Kev Marcus have risen to fame with a style of music that combines classical, hip- hop and R& B.
The musicians have appeared at President Obama’s inauguration and three Super Bowls. They’ve also collaborated with a who’s who of music superstars, including Kanye West, the Eagles, Tom Petty, Aerosmith Wu-Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean, Alicia Keys and Aretha Franklin.
The band released its major label debut Stereotypes ( featuring Black Thought of The Roots and MC Pharoahe Monch) on Universal Music which debuted at # 1 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart and # 4 on the Billboard R& B Chart.
The duo is currently writing and recording its next studio album, due out later this year.
“The whole show was just positive and to see the different choices and different careers that are available is just a great opportunity for these kids to experience,” Carter said, adding they made the kids wear dress up clothes for the performance. “The way they were received there by others was nice to see.”
Carter and Ford said that all the youth enjoyed the performance and acted in a good manner throughout.
“The kids really related to Black Violin’s story and they shared a beautiful message with everyone there,” said Carter, who noted that the kids were still talking and smiling about the show after it happened when Carter saw some of them again on Sunday. “They were able to relate as black kids to these guys and in a classical sense it shows that the kids are not just limited to rap music.”
“One of our biggest things that we try to do is present new experiences for our youth,” added Ford, who said kids and adults from his group loved the overall performance, with some kids telling him that they now have interest to be a violinist. “What the Black Violin does is just amazing and they’re tearing down stereotypical walls by being in that profession and we just wanted to expose our young people to something from and new and get them to think outside of the box.”
Ford was also thankful that so many youth fromthe community were able to see a performance like this, while also noting that many of the youth also were able to experience being inside the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall for the first time too.
“We really want to thank Johnson Communications and Kevin Johnson for bringing them to our area and for the opportunity to open the imagination of our young people and expose them to new experiences,” Ford said.