Daniel Bernard Roumain

Having carved a reputation for himself as an innovative composer, performer, violinist, and band leader, Haitian-American artist Daniel Bernard Roumain melds his classical music roots with his own cultural references and vibrant musical imagination.

His works range from orchestral scores and chamber pieces to music for film, theater, modern dance, and electronica. In 2007, DBR premiered One Loss Plus, the first of three works commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) for its Next Wave Festival. Showcasing his wide-ranging eclecticism, One Loss Plus is Romain’s evening-length, multimedia work for electric/acoustic violin, prepared/amplified piano, electronics, and video. His latest orchestral work and second BAM commission Darwin’s Meditation for The People of Lincoln is a musical setting of a pocket play by Daniel Beaty; following its New York premiere in October 2008, the show moves to the University of Connecticut as a special celebratory concert on February 12, 2009, the icons’ shared bicentennial anniversary of their birth.

Romain has collaborated with an array of orchestras and chamber ensembles. His commissions includes Five Chairs and One Table, a commissioned work for Imani Winds premiering at Carnegie Hall in 2009. From Australia’s Sydney Opera House to Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center, Roumain continues to premiere and perform solo and chamber works off of his debut international solo album etudes4violin&electronix (Thirsty Ear Recordings) in a worldwide tour with Elan Vytal (also known as DJ Scientific).

As bandleader of DBR and The Mission, a young, multicultural ensemble, Roumain presents an electrifying show. Touring nationwide since 2004, the group made its international debut at Australia’s 2008 Adelaide Festival. Romain also serves as artist-in-residence of the Starbucks-sponsored Seattle Theater Group and Music Director of Seattle’s More Music @ The Moore program for the third consecutive year.

A native of Margate, Florida, Roumain’s career blossomed when he studied music as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, completing his master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Michigan under Pulitzer Prize–winning composer William Bolcom.