How The Illharmonic's mix of hip-hop and classical builds community, one show at a time
The Illharmonic Orchestra, led by Jeffrey McNeill and Andrea Coln McNeill, blends hip-hop and classical music to foster community and promote diversity in orchestral performance. The group aims to challenge traditional genre boundaries and highlight the talent of Black musicians in classical settings.
Why it matters
The group serves as a cultural bridge, addressing the lack of diversity in major symphony orchestras while creating accessible, community-focused musical experiences.
Vocalist and composer Jeffrey McNeill says it was back in 1987, when he was still a kid, when he first started hearing the links between hip-hop and classical music.
"I was put in flute and piano lessons as a child, and my father introduced me to The Sugarhill Gang, 'Rapper's Delight,'" McNeill explained in an interview with All Things Considered . "One day, my brother brought home the Beastie Boys' 'Paul Revere,' and to me, it sounded like it went perfectly with Beethoven's 5th Symphony."
Nearly 40 years later, the marriage of those two genres — as well as McNeill's literal marriage to fellow artist Andrea Coln McNeill — are manifest in The Illharmonic Orchestra, which has booked shows in major concert venues across the country over the last two decades.
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