BALTIMORE — Imagine a house party at the opera complete with violins, hip-hop and R&B.
Orchestra Noir is an Atlanta-based all-Black orchestra. Their “Y2K Meets the 90s” tour comes to Baltimore this weekend. The concert is a blend of classical music with reimagined hits from the 90s and early 2000s.
“You just kinda don't know what's gonna happen,” said Jason Ikeem Rodgers, Founder and Music Director of Orchestra Noir. “You might hear some Usher. You might hear some DMX.”
The show is a collaboration between a live orchestra and a DJ.
"I curated this show to mimic a family barbecue or a family reunion or a night out at the club. That was the goal in mind to put that in an orchestral lens," said Rodgers.
Rodgers started playing piano at 10-years-old then eventually gravitated towards conducting.
"I just love being in front of the orchestra, learning about the instruments and I just kinda took it from there. After school I went to Europe and traveled, conducted orchestras in London and Florence. I was like, man, I need to see more black people in orchestra music," said Rodgers.
Rodgers launched Orchestra Noir in 2016 with a vision to make classical music more accessible and representative of the Black community.
“I wanted us to see us on the orchestral stage,” he said. “I really wanted to create a space where African Americans could really go to the concert hall and hear themselves in the orchestral music.”
Orchestra Noir has taken the stage in cities like New York and Chicago, and has collaborated with artists like Rick Ross and Migos.
The show is Saturday, June 28 at The Lyric in Baltimore. For ticket information and show details, click here.
