Daniel Bernard Roumain, a Black, Haitian-American violinist and composer, created an original piece that he performed at WHIN Community Music Charter School on June 11 and 12. As the current artist in residence at the school for the 2024-25 school year and into October, Roumain works with students in their classes and is a mentor figure for them.

His father was born in Port‑au‑Prince, Haiti, and his mother was born in Jacmel, Haiti. “My parents instilled in me a sense of service to Haiti and the United States of America,” Roumain said about his family background.

He was born in Chicago, and though he’s been to Haiti many times, Roumain said that growing up in a small suburb of Illinois was very meaningful.

“To me, as a child, everyone was there, and then when I was five years old, my father moved us to South Florida, and I realized that the world that I thought was big was actually quite small. In South Florida, I learned about diversity and division. I learned about safety and separation, and I learned about joy and justice,” he added.

Something that may surprise people about Roumain is that his son is Black, white, Haitian, and Jewish, and also the son of immigrants from Israel. He lived in Harlem for many years and still has a home in New York. Roumain, his son, and his son’s mother currently live in Boston, Massachusetts.

Discussing who had the most significant influence on his career, Roumain shared, “My parents had the greatest influence on my path, as well as my first music teacher, Mr. Miller. Growing up in South Florida, in Margate, Florida, was very important to me. I am the proud product of the public school system of Broward County, Florida. That’s where I first learned how to play violin, and it was my invitation into music-making and composing.”

His career got started by playing the violin when he was five years old in a small town called Margate,
Florida. He feels that the violin chose him in many ways, and music invited him into a world of ideas, with composing being a constant friend to him.

He got paid to play the violin for the first time at about 10 years old, and it was a performance at a place that is no longer around in South Florida called Musicians Exchange.

“The first time I ever worked with a professional orchestra was when I was 20 years old, and that was the Oakland East Bay Symphony, more than 30 years ago. And I’m proud to say that I am currently the artist‑in‑residence with the Oakland Symphony, now renamed. And all of that is due to the work I did with one of their music directors, Michael Morgan, who unfortunately passed away a few years ago. But if it weren’t for Maestro Morgan, I don’t see how I would have become a professional,” he explained.

Roumain has been busy, and he credits his parents and my family for instilling his work ethic in him.
He feels lucky to be still working and still have a platform for the broad range of his creative expression and practice. “In the past couple of years, I’ve written two operas, several large works for orchestra, several works for solo instruments, chamber works, three film scores, and an array of work for dancers and spoken word artists,” he stated.
On composing these works and making TV and radio appearances, Roumain says he’s hyper‑collaborative and knows how to get along with people.

“I am always learning about myself through working with others. I think there’s a certain responsibility as a Black Haitian American composer to be able to work in a lot of different areas of creative activity. I think it helps audiences understand what it’s like to be a Black Haitian American person, especially now when there is so much misunderstanding and miscommunication and, frankly, hate in the world,” he explained.

He says working with WHIN has been life‑changing for him because, according to him, the faculty and staff approach their teachings with a certain morality, which he says is evident as soon as you walk into the building and see the messages on the walls.

Roumain describes the piece he wrote for WHIN, The WHIN Variations, as a kind of reflection on the work that I’m doing there. “Everyone has a part to play. Everyone is being challenged in the piece, and everyone has an opportunity for their voice to be heard within the larger group voice,” he continued.

He hopes that the students there can see inspiration in the work that he’s doing. “I think that for me, my violin has always been more than my instrument. It’s been my companion, friend, and teacher in many ways. I hope that the students there are engaged in the same kind of journey with their instrument and their music-making and that they may not realize this now, but their lives have changed and will change if they allow music to be integral to their path and life’s journey,” he stated.

He also hopes that his work with the students motivates them towards excellence and kindness. He emphasizes that teachers and parents also have to emphasize kindness, grace, and love because he does not think love is talked about enough.

Although he is not concerned with his legacy, Roumain believes the only thing he can do is get up each day and try to be the very best version of himself that he can be. He adds, “I think the sound of me being alive is wailing on my violin. Of course, the question is for you–what is the sound of you being alive? What is most important to you? And what are the daily examples of this?”