Kevin Marcus and Wil Baptiste of Black Violin want to shatter classical music stereotypes.

“We play violins but we don’t look like violinists and we always just try to lean into that. The reason we’ve been doing this so long isn’t just because we’re good at the violin but because we do things with the violin that people don’t expect,” Marcus said in a recent telephone interview.

Marcus, who plays the viola, and Baptiste, who plays the violin and sings, have been nominated for a Grammy for their genre-bending mix of string arrangements with and hip-hop beats. Marcus said they also want to change perceptions of what classical musicians are supposed to look and sound like.

“We play everything. That’s the best way to describe it. It’s everything,” he said.

The duo will take the stage with a DJ, drummer and keyboardist for a high-energy performance and light show that includes music from Bach, Cardi B, the Notorious B.I.G., Beethoven, Bruno Mars and original songs, too.

“I think it resonates with people because it’s very unique and it includes everyone. It’s very inclusive, it’s not restrictive,” Marcus said. “There are moments in the show that may not be for you. There may be moments when we’re playing this hard hip-hop beat and there’s that kid in the back that says ‘Oh my god, this beat is killing it.’ And then the next song is this beautiful Mozart song and there’s someone sitting in the front with their eyes closed lost in the strings.”

Grammy-nominated duo Kevin Marcus and Wil Baptiste make up Black Violin mix hip-hop and classical music. The duo will perform a pair of local shows in Orange and Santa Clarita in March. (Photo by Mark Clennon)

The duo’s tour stops at Musco Center for the Arts in Orange on March 15 and the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center March 23.

Marcus and Baptiste met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and formed Black Violin in in 2004 after attending separate colleges.

Since forming, the duo has performed hundreds of shows per year at venues across the country. Marcus and Baptiste also performed on Showtime at the Apollo in 2005 and sold out shows at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2018.

Black Violin also records original music, which includes the Grammy-nominated 2019 album “Take the Stairs,” which will make up the bulk of the upcoming live shows.

“We walked into the studio wanting something very hopeful. The idea was just hope. We wanted to make sure every song, every lyric, every chord resonates in the hopeful vibe,” Marcus said.

If you go

Orange: 7:30 p.m. March 15. Musco Center for the Arts, One University Drive, Orange. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. March 15.  $38-$63. muscocenter.org.

Santa Clarita: 8 p.m. March 23. Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road. $40-$80. santaclaritapac.universitytickets.com.

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