The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) has appointed violinist and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) to be its Artist-in-Residence for the 2018-19 Season. DBR will be the featured guest artist for the orchestra’s 87th Annual Young People’s Concerts in late March, and his Hip-Hop Essay Part 1 will be included on the program, To Thee We Sing, on April 4 at Southern Connecticut State University.
Known for his signature violin sounds infused with a myriad of electronic and urban music influences, DBR takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. He has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Musical Composition for his work with ESPN; featured as keynote performer at technology conferences; and written large scale, site-specific music for public parks. DBR made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 with the American Composers Orchestra performing his Harlem Essay for Orchestra. He went on to compose works for the Boston Pops Orchestra; Carnegie Hall; the Library of Congress; the Stuttgart Symphony, and myriad others.
DBR’s commitment to arts education has garnered long-term relationships with countless universities, orchestras, and performing arts centers. DBR earned his doctorate in Music Composition from the University of Michigan. He is currently Institute 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, the 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.
DBR says, “Being the Artist-in-Residence for the NHSO means coming home to family, friends, and a place where great music meets great ideas, surrounded by curiosity, passion, and innovations that fill your mind, heart, and soul.”
NHSO music director William Boughton first brought DBR to perform with the orchestra in 2013. Boughton says, “Working with DBR is always a thrill and inspirational – he brings a different kind of dynamism to the classical symphony orchestra. His extraordinary ability to improvise and respond spontaneously brings such a vibrant dynamic to his performances that ‘light’ up a room.”
