“Daniel Bernard Roumain is halfway through his two-year tenure as resident artistic catalyst at the New Jersey Symphony, and his contributions have been revelatory,” writes Courtney Smith in Monday’s (7/25) NJ Arts. “The day we spoke by phone, … Roumain was … with his New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players for its second annual Newark Museum of Art Summer Series [of] four chamber music concerts, ongoing through Aug. 17, in the museum’s intimate [garden]. Roumain described this year’s programming as ‘a heightened and deepened experience from last year.… For the New Jersey Symphony and myself, … we’re committed to our role in supplying relief and giving opportunities to our audiences. In some ways, to escape the trauma of the day. We do this with well-conceptualized public concerts that connect with its audiences and inspire new ways of thinking.’ Roumain’s artistic catalyst role reflects the evolution, over the last couple of years, of the American orchestral field…. The 51-year-old Black Haitian-American is … a composer, violinist, educator and activist…. He sits on the board of the League of American Orchestras…. His north star is social justice. He’s particularly invested in the issues impacting Black communities…. The violin is his tool of change.”
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