Although many years have passed, the memory still stings like a fresh wound.

Dawn Johnson was just 16 years old when she won her first concerto competition as a soloist with Miami’s New World Symphony orchestral academy. Beating out several of her classmates for the prestigious honor, the moment was supposed to be one of the most joyous milestones of her fledgling music career. But one sneering comment changed all that.

“I heard the mother of one of my classmates say, ‘They only chose her because she’s black,’” the violist recalls. “Having that echo in my head, it was almost like a trauma. It really struck me.”

Johnson’s encounter isn’t an isolated incident. Both of her bandmates, violinist Kendall Isadore and cellist Élise Sharp, are also African American women, and have experienced similar brushes with racism. It’s one of the reasons why the trio hopes their D.C.-based musical project, The String Queens, will be a vessel for change and acceptance within the homogenous world of classical music.

“We’re actually modeling what we believe the musical world should be like,” says Sharp. “And even [in] the people that work with us on our graphic design and our production in the studio, we try to partner with people who look like us and who have a similar message as us.”

This push for diversity goes beyond race. Reaching a wider audience also means acting as a bridge between classical and mainstream pop. The String Queens, who will celebrate the release of their self-titled debut album at Blues Alley on Tuesday, cover songs from all across the musical terrain. It’s not unusual to hear the trio play George Frideric Handel’s “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” and Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” all in the same set. Their intricate arrangements of contemporary songs also spawn some wild mashups, including a colorful fusion of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” with Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” during one show at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage last year.

“The influences we have, from gospel, from jazz, from Broadway, from classical—we’ve sort of fused all of those together at different points,” says Isadore. “I wish there was a formula that we could magically just write down and say, ‘we do these steps when arranging songs.’ At the end of the day, it just comes from our hearts.”

The String Queens also credit their eclectic tastes to their students. All three members hold day jobs as orchestra directors at various KIPP DC middle schools, which have also been a resourceful avenue for music discovery (especially for Top 40 songs). Students are taught how to play traditional classical music and learn improvisational techniques so they can play their favorite Cardi B or Bruno Mars song on their instruments, if they so choose.

“In terms of selecting repertoire, I think the balance of performing and teaching really helps us out,” says Johnson. “Our students have introduced us to so much music, some of which we didn’t even know was out there.”

The trio’s life is dedicated to music, and their origin story revolves around it too. Sharp and Johnson met through an orchestra, and Isadore and Johnson met when Isadore was in search of a violist for a concert. “Music is the glue that brought us together,” says Sharp.

After two years together and stints playing in big concert halls including the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall, The String Queens will showcase their expansive arrangements on their debut album. Much of the featured covers (the group is keeping the full tracklist under wraps until the record is released) were arrangements that the group spent years performing and perfecting live onstage.

“I think we did a good job [on the album] of giving everyone what they need from the music,” says Isadore. “We included jazz, pop with a rock influence. We included ‘90s R&B and more. The arrangements are beautiful and original.”

The group spent roughly a year fine-tuning the album. For a band that feeds off the energy of a live audience, and from one another, Isadore admits that recording posed an interesting (but welcome) challenge for The String Queens.

“It’s hard to capture through recording what people experience on the live stage,” she says. “When we’re in the booth, there’s no audience cheering you on. We’ve done some recordings in the same room and then we’ve gone back and fixed things individually. But there’s nothing that replaces the three of us, side-by-side, feeling each other’s energy.”

Johnson says the record will tests the bounds of classical music—zigzagging between moods, styles, and eras that traverse a wide swath of soundscapes.

“There’s no dynamic, no feeling that has been left unexplored on this album,” says Johnson. “When people connect on this journey with us, it really takes you on this musical ride.”

Once the record is out, The String Queens will gear up for their next big gig as ensemble-in-residence with Washington Performing Arts’ Mars Arts D.C. initiative. The trio will host educational outreach programs at various schools around the area and perform shows at places like the Kennedy Center and Sixth & I. It’s one of the ways that the band is propelling their empowering ethos to young musicians. Particularly their students, who hope to someday grace the big stage in the same way The String Queens have.

“It’s important for [our students] to see themselves in us,” says Isadore. “I think we have a great opportunity to inspire the next generation of excellent musicians. We’re blessed to give back to our community in this way and to champion them.”

The String Queens play Blues Alley on Nov. 26. 8 p.m.& 10 p.m. Tickets sold out. The trio also plays a holiday concert at Heurich House Museum on Dec. 12, 7 p.m. $15.