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Features
First Black Business Expo Partners With Black Heritage Festival
Black Violin Returns To Tampa With ‘Classical Boom Tour’
BLACK VIOLIN ...Wil B. and Kev Marcus
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
The Tampa-St. Pete Re- gional Black Chamber of Commerce, Inc. will host its first Black Business Expo 2018 on Saturday, January 20, 2018, 9 a. m. – 4 p. m. The event will be held at the University Area Community Center, 14013 N. 22nd St., Tampa (33613).
The theme of this event is “Education, Information And Celebration.” The expo is being held in conjunction with the 18th Annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival, which will showcase a variety of events January 11, 2018 through January 20, 2018.
Co-Chairs for Expo 2018 will be Veronica Blakely and Rodney Jones.
In its 2nd year, the Tampa-St. Pete Regional Black Chamber of Commerce meets weekly and conducts financial literacy workshops to educate and offer assis- tance to business owners on becoming better entrepre- neurs, Ms. Blakely ex- plained.
“The purpose of Expo 2018 is to encourage and support economic empower- ment in the Black commu-
Co-Chairs
VERONICA BLAKELY
nity.”
The Expo 2018 will be an
opportunity for businesses to come together. “It’s impor- tant that we (Blacks) net- work and showcase our businesses...and remind peo- ple that we do need to sup- port our Black businesses,” she said. There will be some non-Black individuals who will also participate in the expo.
Individuals who attend the expo and make pur- chases from 3 vendors, will get a gold ticket and an op- portunity to be in the draw- ing for the grand prize.
The event will include Speed Networking, where owners get together to share
RODNEY JONES
information or collaborate on enhancing the business. Keandra Ward will con- duct this event a few times during the day.
Workshops will be held and will include a special time for politicians, espe- cially since 2018 will be an election year. A financial lit- eracy workshop will share how to start a business, fi- nance a business and stay in business.
Music, drawings, door prizes, food vendors and spe- cial guests will also be a part of the expo.
For additional informa- tion, contact Veronica Blakely at email VK- Blakely@gmail.com.
The Straz Center for the Performing Arts presents Black Violin Classical Boom Tour on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 7:30 p. m. in Ferguson Hall. The event is sponsored by Publix Super Market Chari- ties.
Take one violin, one viola, add a DJ and a drum kit, and you have the four forces needed to become Black Violin, the South Florida hip-hop, Brahms- playing quartet that has been on the roster with everyone from Wu Tang Clan to The Eagles.
They’re as likely to im- prov a Top 40 club hit as they are to perform with the virtuosity of concert soloists. This is not a violin concert, but a block party with violins
Flash photography en- couraged. Hands in the air required.
Black Violin is com- posed of classically trained violist and violinist Wil B. and Kev Marcus, who com- bine their classical training and hip-hop influences to create a distinctive multi- genre sound that is often de- scribed as “classical boom.”
Black Violin has shared
stages with top names in- cluding Kanye West, Aerosmith and Tom Petty, and has creatively collaborated with the likes of Wyclef Jean and Alicia Keys.
The duo composed music for the television series Pitch, in addition to appear- ances on HBO’s Ballers, The Tonight Show, Tavis Smiley Show, The Wendy Williams Show and The Ellen Show.
After serving as the house band for the ESPN’s hosted 82nd Annual Heisman Me- morial Trophy Presentation, the network recently se- lected Black Violin’s track, “Stereotypes” to promote the upcoming 2017 U. S. Open.
Black Violin is cur- rently writing and recording their next studio album, due out in 2018.
The band’s most recent record, “Stereotypes,” de- buted at No. 1 on the Bill- board Classical Crossover Chart and No. 4 on the Bill- board R&B Chart.
NPR praised the album and band, saying, “their music will keep classical music alive for the next gen- eration.”
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