Catching up with Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR)

DBR’s Busy Summer Schedule

DBRIt’s mid-July and we thought we’d check in with Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) to see what he’s up to after a busy spring. DBR had a world premiere of a new ballet – “Home in 7” for the Atlanta Ballet choreographed by Amy Seiwert; a NY premiere of Harvest by the Albany Symphony at Carnegie Hall’s Spring for Music Festival; a cool gig in San Francisco as part of Exploratorium’s “After Dark” series, and… he kicked off the summer as a guest faculty member of Mark O’Connor’s recent Fiddle Camp held at Berklee College in Boston.

So…what’s DBR doing for the summer? “Well, I’m enjoying my family. I have a two-year old and it’s exciting and challenging at the same time – he keeps me on my feet; and, I’m working out some ideas for new projects I’m putting together. I’ve got a new piano work for Anthony de Mare. I’m working on two new text settings — the first is the Epic of Gilgamesh for Tri-C Presents in Cleveland (as part of APAP’s Creative Campus grants) and the other setting is the Haggadah [the text of the Passover Seder] for the Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland and the JCC of New York City. I’m also looking forward to the fall when I return to BAM in October for the New York premiere of Symphony for the Dance Floor. It’s the culmination of a generous and cutting-edge commission and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Symphony for the Dance Floor premieres in New York on October 13th — 15th at BAM’s Next Wave Festival. The work received its world premiere in February 2011 at Arizona State University’s Gammage Center. Directed by D.J. Mendel, the full-evening multi-media event features photography by Jonathan Mannion, choreography by Millicent Johnnie, Elan Vytal and DBR’s singular voice which melds hip-hop, electronica and classical sonorities.

Symphony for the Dance Floor is the final installment of a three-year commissioning project. Previous installments include: One Loss Plus and Darwin’s Meditation for the People of Lincoln .