Erika Wilson first picked up the violin thanks to her grandfather, who worked long nights as a Pullman porter for luxury sleeping cars on the railroad, while his daughter, Wilson’s mother, was growing up in the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects. At work, he developed a love for classical music, planting a seed that would sprout decades later in his granddaughter. Their family was full of musicians and singers and the violin allowed Wilson to join their colorful symphony.
“For me, picking up the instrument in excellence was a way to honor him, but then also to add to the colorful nature of my family and add to the band,” Wilson says. Wilson is one-fourth of St. Louis’ newest classical quartet, Blck Bird String Ensemble.
Composed of two violinists, a violist, and a cellist, Blck Bird Strings celebrates Black composers, many of whom remain obscure, while also creating their own contemporary songs. The ensemble will performs at the Hip Hop Orchestra on Aug. 10 at the Purser Center in Chesterfield.
Cellist Tai Davis assembled the quartet in 2023 after connecting with violinist RaGeen Washington and violist Monet Royal at local orchestra performances. Wilson also joined the ensemble. “It just meshed together extremely well,” Wilson says.
Blck Bird Strings aren’t novices when it comes to classical music. They all began playing their instruments as children. Wilson, Royal and Washington found inspiration in elementary-school orchestra programs across St.
Louis. Davis spent much of his youth living nomadically with his mother but built a bond with his cello at a time when maintaining friendships proved difficult. “I love music because it’s always had an integral place in my heart and in my life,” Davis says.
“Without music, I think I would have lost myself a long time ago.” Each Blck Bird Strings member is classically trained. They studied at universities across the country and have individually played in many St.
Louis classical ensembles. Davis says the group reflects their backgrounds, their disappointments and their wins. Since its inception, the quartet has been praised as one of the city’s rising music acts for events and performances.
It recently performed at Forest Park Forever’s Hat Luncheon. Now, Blck Bird Strings aims to set a new standard for classical music emerging from St. Louis.
“Being able to be an addition to the representation for St. Louis, it really is a big thing,” violist Royal says. “I appreciate this group being an outlet for classical music in St.
Louis, (and) that we’re not just hip-hop.” The quartet is shining a light on Black composers like Florence Price, William Grant Still and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. They also are collaborating with local Black composers like Concert Black, Terrence Abernathy and Royce Martin to create new sounds for classical music enthusiasts to enjoy.
What sets Blck Bird Strings apart from other classical ensembles is the group’s dedication to showcasing the diversity of the African Diaspora through chamber music. The African Diaspora describes the dispersion of people of African descent across the world. Many composers from the diaspora have never been recognized for their work.
Washington says Blck Bird Strings plans to give works by those composers wings again. “This gives us an opportunity to..
.give their stories voices again in a new generation for a new culture,” Washington says. The all-Black string quartet is the first of its kind to emerge from St.
Louis. It follows in the footsteps of African American classical ensembles nationwide, like Atlanta’s Orchestra Noir and Thee Phantom’s Illharmonic Orchestra. Blck Bird Strings aims to position St.
Louis as a leader in a new, contemporary wave of classical music where non-conventionalism is key. “We need this for the city,” Wilson says. “The city needs to know that we are doing this thing and that we are doing it excellently.
And it’s not just us.” Blck Bird Strings hopes the Hip Hop Orchestra sparks excitement for contemporary chamber music in St. Louis.
Presented by production company Date Ideas & Things to Do in STL, guests can expect a classical twist on some of their favorite hip-hop classics and renditions of songs from some of the city’s rap icons. Cellist Melissa Priese, violist Concert Black, violinists Jennifer Goodman and Sarah Goodman, double bassist Zack Clark, and DJ Nico will accompany the quartet. “The Hip Hop Orchestra experience is going to be a unique experience in itself, where we’re combining most people’s two favorite things,” Wilson says.
“We’ll be showcasing the diversity and the complexity of hip-hop music and the experience of what it could feel like.” Blck Bird Strings plans to shake up the music scene as St. Louis’ newest cadre of classical musicians.
With every performance, they hope their sound spreads to the masses and connects communities. “Music is a common denominator; it’s a universal language,” Davis says. “No matter the color of your skin, how old you are, or where you come from, music is taught and understood throughout every culture.
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