Innovative Musical Duo Black Violin Comes To San Diego

Trend eight -- this is trend eight Midday Edition. They use music to bake -- break barriers. Violinist Kevin Sylvester and Wilmer Baptiste make up black violin. The two classically trained string musicians will perform at the Jacob Center in San Diego this Saturday. We were lucky enough to get a preview when we caught up with them in a studio in LA. Here is that interview. What people think of a classically trained violinist, apparently your image does not come to mind from any folks. Had you deal with that? We are lucky that we are in a position -- we have worked hard enough that we can deal with it and affect people's perceptions. I have a 260 pound black guy. I am 6'2" , I look like I should be playing football more than being a violinist. We studied classical, but we lived hip-hop. We can blend in a way that allows us to use the stereotype that black guys can play classical music. We are going to take that and show our fans and everyone something brand-new. I want to ask you when did you start playing the [Indiscernible]? It is a funny story. I wanted to play the saxophone and they put me in the wrong class. The reason why I wanted to play is because I used to be on the table at lunchtime and middle school. Security guards used to get really upset with me. They would say stop doing that in sign up for band. He told me a story he used to play the saxophone and make money on the weekends. I thought to myself I can do that. I can play the saxophone and make money on the weekends. I signed up for band, and I was really excited about it. I went to the band teacher and as soon as I decided I wanted to do it I said listen I really want to play the saxophone. He said whatever, just sign up. The orchestra teacher was in that room. Apparently they had a bet, and they basically said let's play golf and whoever wins this golf game gets their kid in this class. They move my class to the strings. I got to school and I saw my name under the string section, and I said okay let me go on this class. Maybe it's a mistake. Where's the brass, where's the metal stuff? I do not realize -- I have always told the story as if it was a mistake. Until 2012 when my teacher actually came to one of our shows in New York on Broadway. He told me the whole thing, and I couldn't believe it. That's how I got to play the viola and I have been playing ever since. It is one thing to be exposed to classical music. It is a whole other thing to fall in love with it. What is the hook for you Kevin? The hook for falling in love with classical music, for me, my first year of college. Classical music is about the stories behind it. All of the songs, any piece of music that you hear, [Indiscernible] and his life he tells his life through his music. I think the best part of music is the story behind it. Classical -- the story behind some of these pieces are incredible. That is the hook for me. When I became a classical musician was when I was able to interpret Beethoven or Brahms in my own way. It turned it and made it become to life for me. What you can get a handle on your instrument and get it to sound like something, and be able to turn Bach and Beethoven into Kevin and [Indiscernible] that's when it came. I knew I would never put it down. Kevin says he played and got to love classical music, but lived hip-hop. Is at the same with you will? Pre-much. That is the environment that we grew up in. After school we were listening to hip-hop or reggae. For us we lived it. Before we were introduced to classical music. If you think about hip-hop it is all about being creative and experimenting. Just being yourself, and I feel like for me when I realized classical is really the same thing if you think about it. Particularly with the stories. Kevin mentioned earlier with [Indiscernible] being able to hear his story in the music. For me that is the connection that I saw. This was about 11th grade and high school. I realize that a notice that. This is cool. I started to really diving deep into the classical music in different composes. Really seeing and understanding what is behind this particular piece. It's one thing to intellectually say hip-hop and classical music have relationships, and are kind of the same thing, but it is a different thing to be actually able to blend these two musical forms. What you do is a lot more than a mashup or a remix. The two forms of music you play seemed to grow out of each other. How do you do that? I think it's organic. It is who we are. We are not fortunate because this is literally who we are. We live the hip-hop, we grew up in that area -- era, we just happen to play the violin. For us it was natural to put the two together. It was fun for us at first. We do not think we would be where we are today. We were just having fun, and we enjoy doing it. Honest -- honestly that honesty Does playing more. Practicing and kept us in the classical music more. That is the amazing thing about us. It's organic and it is who we are. We are hip-hop first, and the we are classical. It is equal. That is one of the mind -- main reason we are able to blend them. In a way that people can understand it. Can you give us a taste of how you do that? Sure. A lot of what we do is you can take talk and Beethoven, we play for hundreds of thousands of kids every year. We play for 7000 kids this morning in Los Angeles at the music center. We tell these kids if it's your mom, your teachers, you will probably end up quitting this violin. If you find a way to make it yours you will play a forever. We will just play whatever we want right now. This is not a tune that we made up of any sort. We will just say the MPR special. Just in a make up something. How can it be a wrong note if you are making it up. [music playing] And improvisation by black violin for KPBS Kevin Sylvester in will [Indiscernible] thank you so much for that. You're welcome. I like to just get out and play. We are making it up. It is a great release, and as violinist you are not taught to play what you want. For any kid listening that is playing the violin it is all about making it yours. No matter what you do you got a make it yours. You got a practice your skills and do all of the things that make it. You got to pick it up and play anything that you feel at the moment. I was watching a video for your stereotype release. References -- do see it. Yes, it is more of a togetherness. It is more inclusiveness. That is definitely what our music does. If you come to a black violin concert you see all types of people there. there is no age limit as well. There are five-year-olds and 80-year-olds. Right next to each other dancing. There was a lady with a cane, she threw a cane on the ground, and just started dancing with a 10-year-old. It was beautiful to watch. It is obvious once we step on stage that you hear the name black violin. What this is going to be about? I'm sure there's going to be violence involved. It sounds interesting. This is different. I heard Black Violin I do not think it would be two black guys. You are not thinking that you are going to see Kevin [Indiscernible] on stage. At the same time you are not expecting us to play the way that we play. The moment I picked up the viola is the moment I started breaking barriers and stereotypes. Like Kevin said earlier, we use that as a tool. To not only inspire, but to really break people's [Indiscernible]. We break the barriers when you think about a black person with the violin. As being sold out in San Diego, that alone, we come on stage and do our thing. We do not have to say anything politically. We just want to change people's perceptions. You do not judge a book by its cover. The matter who you are -- it doesn't matter you can do whatever you want. You can break every stereotype. That is the fun part of this. You're coming to the Jacob center in San Diego this weekend? Can we hear more for -- from you now? Sure. This is the title song off of our album stereotypes. It is available now. You can get everywhere. It is an acoustic version of stereotypes. [violin playing] I am Maureen Cavanaugh . Thank you for listening.