Classical instruments and orchestrations aren’t unknown in hip-hop music, but nobody mingles those sounds like the Illharmonic Orchestra. On Nov. 22, the New York-based ensemble is playing the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, a theater which in its century of existence has hosted orchestras and operas as well as the occasional rapper or “Hip-Hop Nutcracker” show.
It’s the ensemble’s first Connecticut show since a University of New Haven booking around 20 years ago. Led by composer/arranger/conductor Thee Phantom and vocalist Phoenix, the Illharmonic resets familiar rap songs as classical works. It does mashups of classical tunes and hip-hop standards. It also plays original works that demonstrate how these two genres can work well together.
“We extrapolate the musicality that exists in what seems like polar opposites,” Thee Phantom said.
After years of recording, The Illharmonic began putting more focus on live shows. “The tours have taken on a life of their own,” said Thee Phantom, who says he does 90% of the arrangements himself and collaborates on the others.
“Phantom recreates the originals so the hip-hop songs can be brought onstage,” Phoenix said. “Our repertoire is a combination of hip-hop, R&B and other music. The audience is able to see these two genres brought together. It’s classical meeting R&B/soul.”
What’s the reaction to such bracing musical chemistry experiments?
“People scream and yell and sing along,” Phoenix said.
“It’s a house party in a concert hall,” Thee Phantom added. “This is not an audience that’s waiting to clap. No two concerts are the same. We have a large repertory at our disposal so we can switch up songs. It’s all hip-hop/classical fusion but some bend more classical.”
A lively Illharmonic concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall. (Courtesy of The Illharmonic)
Thee Phantom has been creating Illharmonic music for about 25 years. He grew up in Philadelphia, a city with a history of collaborations between pop/R&B producers and classical players due to Gamble & Huff’s legendary Philadelphia International Records label. “My family listened to everything from Motown to Mozart.” As a child, he took flute and piano lessons and sang in a church choir. One of the first rap/classical mixes he did when he was just 12 years old joined the Beastie Boys song “Paul Revere” to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. That arrangement is still in the Illharmonic repertoire today.
“Thee Phantom, he heard the 4/4 in the Beastie Boys and connected it to Beethoven,” Phoenix marveled. To Thee Phantom, it felt natural. “Beethoven was a gangsta in his time.”
Phoenix is also a classically trained flutist and pianist and had parents who exposed her to all types of music. “Also I was a vocalist and eventually I gravitated to that and away from playing,” she said. “Singing along to the music my mother would put on became part of the regular flow of what I listened to.”
Blending musical genres came naturally to both Phoenix and Thee Phantom, who besides being performing partners are a married couple. “It’s something we cherish very much,” Phoenix said. “It’s this expansive musical mental library we both have. Growing up it was commonplace that we heard both genres.”
Most of The Illharmonic’s songs have vocals. Both Phoenix and Thee Phantom perform: He raps while she both raps and sings. There’s also a DJ in the center of the orchestra and MCs at the front of the stage. The 20 to 25 musicians onstage are drawn from a wide pool of freelance musicians, some of whom have played with Illharmonic for years. There is some banter between songs so the audience can understand some of the music melding that’s happening. There are also some special lighting effects and the thrill of seeing a stage full of live musicians
The Illharmonic shows the clear links between hip-hop and classical music yet also acknowledges that some of these connections have been in the music all along. “As hip-hop grew as a genre it began to use a lot of jazz themes and instruments,” Phoenix said.
Given the quality of their playing and the specificity of their arrangements, the two said they are picky about the type of venue they play. The Shubert is an ideal place to see them, they noted.
“A room has to have great acoustics,” Thee Phantom said. “We’re not an ensemble that does well in a club. Besides, we draw the kind of audience that likes to sit down.”
Thee Phantom and The Illharmonic Orchestra perform on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Shubert Theatre, 247 College St., New Haven. $48.20-$83.90. shubert.com.
