Crossover classical and hip-hop duo Black Violin returns to Hartford’s Infinity Hall on Oct. 30 for My Little Black Dress, a yearly fundraiser held by the Legacy Foundation.
Proceeds benefit the Legacy Exposure and Access Program, which provides learning opportunities for Hartford kids. My Little Black Dress also benefits the Anna Keise Project, a Legacy Foundation initiative that combats domestic abuse. Along with the music, there’s also a cocktail reception and live fashion show by Chico’s.
Formed by violinist Kev Marcus and violist and singer Wil Baptiste in South Florida, Black Violin breaks down musical barriers on “Stereotypes,” the duo’s third album, mixing classical chamber music with contemporary hip-hop and vocal R&B. The critically acclaimed album featured cameos by rapper Black Thought and pianist Robert Glasper.
“Kids look at us and see us as superheroes, which is crazy,” Baptiste told the Courant in November 2015. “If I can pull out my viola and just do something I would do naturally, and I love doing, it gives them that vision of, ‘Oh my God, there’s a possibility I could do something else. I can be anybody’.”
Greg Jones, a partner at strategy and advising firm Corporate Development Group, formed the Legacy Foundation and serves as its executive director. The 501(c)(3) non-profit focuses on “addressing disparities in health and education with a specific emphasis on the most challenged demographic areas of Hartford, Connecticut,” according to its website.
MY LITTLE BLACK DRESS takes place at Infinity Hall in Hartford on Oct. 30 beginning at 5 p.m. Tickets are $40 to $125. infinityhall.com
