Classical Violin Meets Hip-Hop In Concert

By Madeline Ziecker

Courtesy photo.

A unique concert blending the complex and moving melodies of the violin with the gritty, thumping underbelly beats of hip-hop with violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain and DJ Elan Vytal will show at the MACC on Friday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Haitian-American composer, performer, violinist, and band leader Daniel Bernard Roumain has called upon his classical music training and his own cultural upbringing to create a new, dynamic sect of classic music.

Roumain has collaborated with several musicians such as Philip Glass, Lady Gaga, and Cassandra Wilson and has been commissioned by both Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Music for his artistry.

Roumain now works with DJ Elan Vytal (aka DJ Scientific), a Brooklyn-based DJ and sound engineer who is accompanying Roumain in his national tour based on his 2010 album Woodbox Beats & Balladry.

Unique instrumental style mixes such as those of Daniel Bernard Roumain and Elan Vytal inspire musical appreciation intellectually, emotionally and physically.

In classical music, string instruments like the violin are integral in storytelling and giving the listener an image or an emotion to follow through the music. Percussion evokes more of a corporeal response, especially in hip hop where beats are strong and can almost be felt reverberating in the body as they are being played.

With this idea, we could say that as a body of musical talent, Roumain is the mental and Vytal is the physical, working as one to create a special, holistic musical experience for listeners.

Tickets are $12, $30, and $40 and can be purchased by calling the MACC Box Office at 242-SHOW or online by visiting MauiArts.org.