Event Description
Step into Black Violin’s Full Circle Tour, where GRAMMY-nominated duo Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus redefine the possibilities of music by merging classical depth with hip-hop’s pulse. This tour captures the essence of returning to where it all began—transformed and reimagined. Each powerful performance invites audiences to reflect on their own journeys, discovering that even as we evolve, we’re often drawn back to our roots with renewed purpose.
From high school orchestra classmates to groundbreaking artists, Black Violin’s path reflects resilience, creativity, and the courage to challenge expectations. With their Black Violin Foundation reaching over 100,000 students each year, they’re building a legacy that transcends the stage, inspiring a new generation to dream boldly. Join them for an unforgettable night that celebrates growth, music, and the beauty of coming full circle.
Directions & Parking
A special preferred parking rate of only $10* is available for our patrons in the Bank of America Center Parking Garage.
- Entrances: 150 N. College St. and 290 E. 5th St.
The $10 rate is applicable when parked in the garage after 5pm on weekdays, Monday-Friday. If parked in the garage before 5pm, the $10 rate is void. There is no time restriction for the weekend, Saturday and Sunday.
Getting and Using Your Parking Pass When You Arrive
- Pull the garage entry ticket when you arrive at the designated garage. You will need this to exit!
- Purchase a $10 Blumenthal exit pass at the theater or click here to purchase in advance online. If you would rather purchase by phone, please call 704.372.1000.*
When You Exit
- Insert or scan your garage entry ticket. Amount due will display on the screen.
- Scan your Blumenthal exit pass sticker.
- Gate arm will rise and the screen will display “drive safely.”
*Pre-paid parking is not available day of show.
PURCHASE YOUR PARKING EXIT PASS IN ADVANCE
Bring your pre-purchased parking pass with you to the show and receive an exit pass sticker at parking stations in the lobby before or after the show.
More About Black Violin
For nearly two decades, Black Violin has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals and building bridges in communities along the way. Members Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste first met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, becoming classically trained on the violin and viola through their high school and college careers. Post-college, they reconvened to produce beats for South Florida rappers, and began building an audience in local clubs. They later went on to win Showtime at the Apollo in 2005, and eventually sold out headline performances at venues across the country, including a sold out two-night headline run at The Kennedy Center in 2018. NPR took note and declared “their music will keep classical music alive for the next generation.” Black Violin’s 2019 album release, Take the Stairs, earned a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album”. The band also recently received their second ever Grammy Award nomination for the track “The Message” as Best Americana Performance, in collaboration with The Blind Boys of Alabama.
Black Violin has plays roughly 200 shows a year; many of which are performances for young, low-income students in urban communities. In the last year alone, the group has played for over 100,000 students with the goal of challenging stereotypes and preconceived notions of what a “classical musician” looks and sounds like. “The stereotypes are always there, embedded so deep in our culture,” says Wil. “Just by nature of our existence we challenge those ideas. It’s a unique thing that brings people together who aren’t usually in the same room, and in the current climate, it’s good to bring people together.”
In 2019, the group launched the Black Violin Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering youth by providing access to quality music programs in their community. BVF believes that music and access to music programs should not be determined by race, gender, or socio-economic status. Black Violin Foundation’s inaugural program the Musical Innovation Grant for Continuing Education will provide scholarships to young music students to attend a program of their liking that fosters musical creativity and innovation.
Belk Theater features state-of-the-art equipment, production and support capabilities and can host any event, from grand opera to rock to corporate annual meetings and lectures.
The theater features a contemporary European horseshoe arrangement for an intimate atmosphere and world-class acoustics. The most distant seat is less than 135 feet from the stage.
A hallmark of the theater’s design is some 2,400 “points of light” in the audience chamber, part of a dazzling fiber optic network with multi-color capabilities.
Renowned architect Cesar Pelli designed the Performing Arts Center, which opened in 1992, as well as the adjacent Bank of America Corporate Center and Founders Hall. The Center’s name honors the contributions of the people of the state of North Carolina as well as the generosity of the Blumenthal Foundation, the largest private donor to the capital campaign.
