Violectric – don’t call it just a string ensemble! The musicians’ flashy instruments and rock tunes defy traditional description, so much so that the band was declared the House Band of the City of Orlando by Mayor Buddy Dyer in 2022.
This is Violectric’s 13th year performing a free holiday concert at Lake Eola, and it’s on the 13th. So many thirteens may make you want to knock on wood, but you won’t find any on Violectric's special light-up LED cellos, violins and harps!
Michelle Jones is band leader and arranger for Violectric. The Grammy nominee said this year’s family-friendly show also features pics with Santa and Mrs. Claus, guest vocalists, and two local school orchestras – Edgewater High School and Southwest Middle School – joining the band onstage.
“Our show is mashups of classic rock tunes and modern pop tunes with traditional carols and themes,” said Jones. “For example, ‘Sweet Dreams’ by the Eurythmics. We mash that up with ‘Hannukah, Oh Hannukah.’ We mash up ‘Crazy Train’ with ‘Deck the Halls.’”
Violectric’s slogan is “classic musicians who rock,” and of course, no rock concert is complete without a light show. That goes double for this band and its LED light-up instruments.
“Violectric is the world's only LED ensemble,” Jones said. “We created it...back in 2015 and we are still the ones that have the controllable instruments.”
Jones’s husband Jerry, a lighting designer, invented the light-up instruments. During shows, he coordinates and “plays” all of the lights, live. “He's over there, and he's flashing right on with the beat, because he knows our music inside and out,” said Jones.
The local school orchestras from Edgewater High and Southwest Middle schools join Violectric onstage through the 15-year-old Violectric Education Program. Jones said the band works with different schools every year.
“We've been going into the schools and working with students and doing workshops with students on how to make a living in music,” explained Jones. “That's always been the heart of my life, is teaching and education and helping show people that there is more to music than just, ‘Oh, I think I'll just play an orchestra instrument, or I'll just play in the band.’ No, you can actually make it part of your life and make a living at it.”
Jones said she believes it’s vital to preserve the human element in music and live performance. “Everybody's using AI to create music, and although it can be a tool – it absolutely can – there's still nothing that replaces the human element.”
“Music is part of culture… Culture is human interaction, humans being with each other, congregating with each other, creating together, being artistically inclined together,” added Jones. “And when we get together as part of a group, or a band, or an orchestra, or anything like that, and create an experience for an audience to enjoy live, not just through a screen… that is what makes us human.”
