Big Lux: Violin - and activism - with a world beat

Violin - and activism - with a world beat

By Darcy Castro

Hailing from a family of talented musicians, Big Lux discovered the violin and saxophone at a young age. He spent days with brass in his hands and evenings with strings beneath his fingers. The violin called to him the loudest, and Lux began a journey that put him on musical stages around the world and being a leader for social justice.

Not only a musician, Lux is a US Army veteran and graduate of the prestigious West Point Military Academy. His military career spans five continents and multiple war zones, his violin always at hand. He won talent shows in Afghanistan, played for troops in Iraq and fused hip hop and soul music in Seoul.

Four years in Korea introduced him to an entirely new culture, one where he refined his musical style, playing gigs when he wasn’t training soldiers. His time there was important in his evolution as a performer, and it marked the beginning of the phenomenon we now know as Big Lux.

Lux also hold an MBA from the University of Miami. His time in south Florida influenced his music with its Latin flavor, becoming more energetic, brimming with electricity and excitement like the South Beach nightclubs in which he played. He evolved into a charged performer the likes of which Miami hadn’t seen with strings and a bow before. Today, Lux calls Rhode Island home, and maintains a travel schedule that takes him along the east coast playing shows from Miami to New Hampshire. He tours Korea annually, staying in touch with the culture of street performers that first helped him define himself as a musician.

Lux is committed to activism, speaking at local colleges and in the media, and participating in peaceful BLM protests and leading vigils to honor victims of police brutality. In 2020, he produced a music video from his original song Red March (A Protest Video). The video drew local press attention and is now being produced as an orchestral performance by multiple universities.

At a protest vigil in Providence, Rhode Island, string musicians came from neighboring states and played the score in unity to peacefully protest police brutality and bring awareness to the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain, an unarmed black man and fellow violinist.

Big Lux continues his activism through music, lectures and events designed to increase awareness and foster meaningful dialog. He is always looking for the next opportunity to make a difference, and willing to embrace the challenges necessary for change

Follow Big Lux at BigLuxViolin.com

Photograph provided by Big Lux