Daniel Bernard Roumain (aka DBR)
b. 1970

Haitian-American composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (aka DBR) was born in Skokie, Illinois. His family moved to Fort Lauderdale Florida subsequently. As a first-generation American, DBR’s family home was filled with Haitian folk music and his family encouraged him to listen to a variety of classical and contemporary music.

He discovered the violin at age 5. In junior high school, he formed his own rock / hip-hop band playing guitar and synthesizer.
He majored in music composition at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and continued his studies at the University of Michigan where he earned both his masters and doctoral degrees.

DBR is an innovative composer, performer, activist and educator. His works blend hip-hop, funk, rock and classical music into genre defying, energetic and experimental forms. He has collaborated with many orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world. His eclectic musical interests are reflected in the fact that he has collaborated with all manner of artists like Philip Glass, Lady Gaga, Bill T. Jones, DJ Spooky, and Cassandra Wilson.

DBR taking an unconventional approach to violin playing in a 2012 workshop .

Here’s a quote from Roumain’s website that gives a nice overview of the width and breadth of his work to date:
“Known for his signature violin sounds infused with myriad electronic, urban, and African-American music influences, DBR takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. He is a composer of chamber, orchestral, and operatic works; has won an Emmy for Outstanding Musical Composition for his collaborations with ESPN; featured as keynote performer at technology conferences; and created large scale, site-specific musical events for public spaces.”

And here is link to an NPR piece about the 2017 premiere of We Shall Not Be Moved – an opera about the 1985 bombing of the MOVE house in Philadelphia :

If you’d like to learn more about DBR, here are some items from our collection:

* Revolutionary Rhythm (CD)

* Liasons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano (CD and also Score)

* Blues Dialogues: Music By Black Composers (CD)

* Homegoings (Documentary Film scored by Roumain, available to stream via Alexander Street Press)

* You can also follow DBR on social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify.