Fort Worth Magazine 2021
BY BRIAN KENDALL AUGUST 3, 2021
Twenty-four-year-old prodigy Armond Vance takes to the streets with social causes and his violin.
It was a Google search that brought classically trained and modern-influenced violinist Armond Vance to Fort Worth from his native Ohio digs. He’d been living in Toledo for most of his life — don’t get him started on the town’s strange nuances and its lack of identity — and had recently graduated from The Ohio State University in Columbus with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music.
Vance was ready for a change of scenery and knew a few people in the Lone Star State who were trying to convince the then 22-year-old to move to Texas.
“I literally was searching orchestra director jobs in Texas, and Fort Worth popped up,” Vance says. “There really is no magical fairytale story about this. I had a friend who said they pay more for teaching jobs down here, and I was, like, ‘All right.’”
While his journey to Texas might seem streamlined, thanks to modern technology and slightly uneventful, Vance quickly made a splash upon arriving.
He currently teaches orchestra at William James Middle School in East Fort Worth, but his influence goes far beyond the students in his classroom. Whether you’re hanging around Hotel Drover, the Dallas Farmers Market, or walking around the Near Southside, you’ll likely encounter the tall, lanky violinist busking in the streets, who will force you to stop in your tracks and intently listen for a spell. But don’t expect to hear too many classics from Bach or Mozart. Instead, Vance will likely grace you with renditions of hits from Beyoncé and Kanye West; Vance’s repertoire purposefully pulls from modern R&B artists and classical Black composers who were highly influential during their time.
Vance has a particular fondness for Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a composer who has been described as the Black Mozart, a label Vance is quick to point out as something that undermines the true genius of Chavalier de Saint Georges.
“People don’t understand what an influence Chevalier de Saint-Georges had on Mozart’s music,” Vance explains. “I hate that people refer to him as the Black Mozart when, in reality, Mozart was the White Saint-Georges. But I guess we chalk that up to the whitewashing of history.”
For our interview, I met Vance at Cherry Coffee on Magnolia in the hip Near Southside. We chatted for hours about a range of topics, including his teetotalism despite having a love for Fort Worth's growing nightlife scene and a Ghanaian pendant he wears around his neck that means wisdom. When the conversation turned more cerebral, I was impressed by how well Vance could wax poetic about race, social justice, and musical history — while expertly blending the three. It's clear he not only understands the nuances of racism, but he also thinks critically and seeks solutions.
While Vance has a natural ear for music and can play any genre one could possibly request at one of his performances, his preference is to highlight Black musicians in order to spread awareness.
“As an artist, I feel it’s important to use our platform to spread the word about certain things,” Vance says. “I want to talk about things like social justice, Black Lives Matter, and a list of other important issues that we don’t have time to get into.”
While many become musicians after pressure from their parents — taking piano lessons at the age of five — Vance's route has a modern twist. With little coercion from his mother, Vance was initially drawn to the violin after watching a YouTube video of someone playing hip-hop violin.
“I had no idea that road existed,” Vance says. “I mean, one would’ve assumed back then that you had to choose one or the other, so this really piqued my interest. So, I started looking into how to integrate hip-hop and R&B into classical music and how it’s been integrated into Black music for so long. Jazz music routinely integrates string instruments. And modern hip-hop artists such as Kanye West often incorporate strings into the production of their albums. So, it’s really not a stretch; [strings] can fit anywhere.”
But Vance's musical acumen goes far beyond covering other artists; the 24-year-old also has a knack for composing original material. When in Ohio, Vance composed “Revolution,” a piece he made in honor of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died in 2019 after being placed in a chokehold by police officers in Aurora, Colorado.
“Needless to say, I felt a connection with him because he was my age at the time and also played violin,” Vance says. “I do a lot of composing. I’d like to do more, but I’m a slow worker. The composing element and creating something that no one has heard before is what really inspired me to make [music] a long-term thing.”
As ironic as it may sound, it was after COVID-19 hit that Vance began playing in front of crowds. Lacking a website or a booking agent, Vance uses Instagram and Facebook to connect to his audience and uses the platforms to communicate with those who want to book him for gigs — no doubt cementing his reputation as a true DIY Gen Zer at work.
“You want me to play at your venue or party? Just send me a message on Facebook or Instagram, and I’ll get back to you,” Vance says.
As the conversation wound down, I asked Vance what his plans were and what his ultimate ambition was — a typical question that usually gets a typical response. I assumed that he would tell me he wanted to record with Kanye, win the Nobel Prize after racking up a few Grammys, start a record label in New York City, or other talk that fell just short of taking over the world. I was shocked to find that his ambitions fell well short of world shaking. Vance, as he told me, is happy right where he's at. And it dawned on me. The teacher, artist, and advocate thinks he's far better suited for community shaking. The world has plenty of shakers of its own.
“I love Fort Worth, and I love the community,” Vance says. “I see Fort Worth as a city that’s really beginning to grow and develop in very positive ways, and I like being part of that.
“I’m not trying to win a Grammy, and I’m not trying to be the best violinist in the world. I appreciate any honors I receive throughout the process, and I appreciate being a feature in this magazine, but my goal is to live life authentically.”
You can catch Armond Vance this Friday night at Tulips where he'll pair his violin with a DJ set from Ronnie Heart.
