Composers

Daniel Bernard Roumain

1971 -

About

Daniel Bernard Roumain "DBR" (b.1971) is a prolific and endlessly collaborative composer, performer, educator, and social entrepreneur. “About as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), DBR has worked with artists from Philip Glass to Bill T. Jones to Lady Gaga; appeared on NPR, American Idol, and ESPN; and has collaborated with the Sydney Opera House and the City of Burlington, Vermont. Acclaimed as a violinist and activist, DBR’s career spans more than two decades, earning commissions by venerable artists and institutions worldwide. 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. DBR earned his doctorate in Music Composition from the University of Michigan and is currently Institute Professor and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University. An avid arts industry leader, DBR serves on the board of directors of the League of American Orchestras, Association of Performing Arts Presenters and Creative Capital, the advisory committee of the Sphinx Organization, and was co-chair of 2015 and 2016 APAP Conferences.

Related Information

Works by Daniel Bernard Roumain

Title Collection Voice Type Range Poet
Anacaona Alto
Epilogue, 1965 High
On the Edge of Night High
Wooden Men Soprano
Title Published Size Solo with Ensemble Duration Range Level Orchestration
A Young Person’s GPS for Our Orchestra; Theme and Variations on Haitian Folk Songs Yes Full Orchestra 20+ Professional 3222; 4331; Timpani; 3 Percussion; Harp, Piano; Strings
Call Them All: Fantasy Projections Yes Full Orchestra Laptop 10-20 Professional 1111; 1111; 1 Percussion; Piano; Film; Laptopist
Child Yes Chamber Orchestra 5-10 Professional 2222; 2210; 1 perc; str; electric bass
Cipher Yes Chamber Orchestra + Chorus Poet (Actor) 10-20 Professional 2222; 2210; Timpani; 2 Percussion; Piano/Synthesizer; SATB; SATB; Audio Recording; Poet (Actor); Strings
Club Dance Manifesto Yes Chamber Orchestra 20+ Professional 2222; 2221; perc, pno/synth; stgs
Dancers Dreamers, and Presidents Yes Full Orchestra 20+ Professional 2121; 2121; 4331; timp, 3perc, traps, pno/synth; stgs
Darwin’s Meditation for the People of Lincoln Yes Full Orchestra Violin 20+ Professional 1110; 1110; 1 Percussion; Actor; Singer; Solo Violin; Piano/Celesta; Strings; Electric Bass
Fast, from Fast Dance Black Machine Yes Chamber Orchestra 5-10 Professional 2121; 2110; 1 Percussion; Piano; Strings
Father Antonio’s Contrapuntal Prayers for Michael Yes Full Orchestra 5-10 Professional 3333; 4331; Timpani; 2 Percussion; Strings
Grace Yes Chamber Orchestra 5-10 Professional 1111; 1110; 1 Percussion; 2 Soprano voices; Strings; Electric Bass
Haitian Essay for Orchestra Yes Full Orchestra Violin 5-10 Professional 3222; 4331; Timpani; 3 Percussion; Harp; Piano; Strings
Harlem Essay for Orchestra and Audio Playback Yes Full Orchestra Violin 20+ Professional 3222, 4321, Timpani; Percussion; Piano, Strings, MP3 Playback
Harvest Yes Chamber Baritone 5-10 Professional 2222; 2210; Timpani and snare drum; Baritone voice; Strings
Hip-Hop Essay for Orchestra Yes Full Orchestra 20+ Professional 3233; 4321; Timpani; 4 Percussion; Harp; Piano; Strings
Human Songs and Stories for Orchestra, Narrator, and The People Yes Full Orchestra Narrator 20+ Professional 3333; 4331; Timpani; 3 Percussion; Harp; Strings; Narrator; 6 People (minimum)
Kompa Variations Yes String Orchestra 20+ Professional Str
La, La, La, La Yes Chamber Orchestra 5-10 Professional 1111; 1000; 1 Percussion; Strings; Electric Bass
Meditations on Raising Boys Yes Full Orchestra Spoken Word, Violin 20+ Professional 3333; 4331; Timpani; 3 Percussion; Harp; Piano; Strings; Narrative Chorus (Men, Boys); Spoken-word Artist; Solo Violin
Riots and Prayers for Orchestra Yes Full Orchestra 20+ Professional 3333; 4331; Timpani; 3 Percussion; Harp; Piano; Speakers (amplified by microphones and appearing on stage); Strings
Symphony for the Dance Floor/Club Dance Manifesto Yes Chamber Orchestra 20+ Professional 2222; 2221; perc, pno/synth; stgs
The Tuscaloosa Meditations Yes Full + Men's Chorus Two flutes, Trumpet 10-20 Professional 2 Solo Flutes; 1 Solo Trumpet (C); Strings
Voodoo Violin Concerto Yes Full Orchestra Violin 20+ Professional 2222; 2221; Timpani; 2 Percussion; Piano; Strings; Solo Violin
Voodoo Violin Concerto For Chamber Ensemble Yes Chamber Violin 10-20 Professional 1 Flute; 1 Clarinet (B-flat); 1 Trumpet (C); 1 Tenor Trombone; 2 Percussion; 1 Solo Violin; Piano; 1 Violin; 1 Cello; Electric Bass
We March Yes Chamber Guitar 20+ Professional Solo guitar, str
Woodbox Violin Concerto Yes Full Orchestra Violin 20+ Professional 3333; 4331; Timpani; 3 Percussion; Harp; Synthesizer; Strings; Solo Violin