Meet Daniel Roumain of DBR Music Productions in Tempe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Roumain.

Daniel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started playing the violin when I was five years-old in Margate, FL. I started composing when I was ten years-old and went to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. I got a doctorate degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in 1997 moved to Harlem in New York City. I started performing in Tempe, Arizona in 2000 and have been performing here annually ever since. In 2016, I was invited to teach at ASU as an Institute Professor and Professor of Practice and bought a home in Tempe last year. Dorsey Lane is a live/work/dream space by and for artists, and we hope to open our doors next year.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being black in America is difficult. Being a Black professional artist in America is hard. Being a Black, Haitian-American composer, in America, is one of the most difficult journeys one could imagine, and at this moment, Minneapolis and other cities in America are on fire. My work as a composer often speaks to where we are as BIPOC in America, and my creative practice tries to speak to the hard, honest truths of our shared struggles. Our current American president doesn’t speak for me and has completely lost his path, and I have often said, when politicians fail us, artists have always led the way.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about DBR Music Productions, LLC – what should we know?
DBR Music Productions is a music-based company supporting my work and the work of other artists with distinct creative practices. We work closely with performing artists and creatives who create change through their artistry and activism. I’m most proud of our 20 year history of service and commitment to the work of artists in the community, concert hall, and engaged in transformative conversations worldwide.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The ability to change as you embrace and ask for change. The wanting to create and listen and learn and hear and respond and be and be empathetic and perform and provoke and provide and succeed and fail, but not stop or give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.danielroumain.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielroumain/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dbrmusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dbrmusic

Image Credit:
Bethanie Hines Photography

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