BAM To Show Three Performances of Roumain's 'Darwin's Meditation'

A composer, performer, violinist, and band leader, Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) seamlessly blends classical music, funk, rock, and hip-hop into a unique musical vision. According to The New York Times, he is “about as omnivorous as a contemporary musician gets.” In Darwin’s Meditation for The People of Lincoln, DBR explores the real and imagined relationship between Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln, who were born within hours of one another on February 12, 1809. This New York premiere will feature SymphoNYC, an 18-piece chamber orchestra conducted by Paul Hass, together with four arresting soloists—DBR (violin), Wynne Bennett (prepared piano), Daniel Beaty (spoken word), and Haitian singer/activist Emeline Michel (voice).

Three performances of Darwin’s Meditation for The People of Lincoln will take place in the BAM Harvey Theater on Oct. 29, 31 and Nov. 1 at 7:30pm. Tickets, priced at $20 and 35, are available through BAM Ticket Services (718.636.4100) or online at BAM.org.

About Darwin’s Meditation for The People of Lincoln

Darwin’s Meditation for The People of Lincoln is the second of three works by DBR to be commissioned and presented by BAM, with a subsequent production scheduled for the 2010 Next Wave Festival. Touching on the ideas of freedom, survival, and legacy in a post-Civil War America, DBR’s eclectic musical score incorporates an original “pocket play” by Obie award-winning playwright/performer Daniel Beaty drawn from texts by Darwin and Lincoln.

About Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR)

Known for fusing his classical music roots with a myriad of soundscapes, Haitian-American artist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) has carved a reputation as a passionately innovative composer, performer, violinist, and band leader. His compositions range from orchestral scores and chamber/choral works to rock songs and electronica, all of which reflect his classical music roots and the spectrum of contemporary black popular music. DBR has collaborated with Philip Glass, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Vernon Reid, Savion Glover, Susan Sarandon, Cassandra Wilson, and an array of orchestras and chamber ensembles, and also serves as the music director of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Assistant Composer-in-Residence of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. DBR also serves as the Artist-in-Residence of the Seattle Theater Group (sponsored by Starbucks) and is scheduled to premiere solo works and pulsing duets from his debut international solo album etudes4violin&electronix (Thirsty Ear Recordings) in a 2008 worldwide tour with Elan Vytal, aka DJ Scientific.
Artist Talk with Daniel Bernard Roumain
 
BAM presents an Artist Talk with Daniel Bernard Roumain post-show on October 31, moderated by WNYC’s John Schaefer. Free for same-day ticket holders; call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or visit www.BAM.org.

About the Next Wave Festival

BAM’s Next Wave Festival, which enters its 26th season in 2008, has permanently changed the landscape of culture through breakout performances, landmark productions, daring experiments, and once-in-a-lifetime moments. The Festival originated as a fall series entitled “The Next Wave/New Masters.” In November 1981, Philip Glass’ new opera, Satyagraha, was presented as one of four productions under the Next Wave moniker. A more ambitious series followed in 1982, including a two-evening performance work by Laurie Anderson—United States: Parts I-IV.

From the seeds of these two rich years grew an idea for something bolder and riskier. The Next Wave Festival, dedicated to exciting new works and cross-disciplinary collaborations by promising young artists, was launched in October 1983. Pieces that previously had been presented in downtown lofts and small “black box” theaters were staged in the exquisite 2,100-seat BAM Opera House (later renamed the Howard Gilman Opera House), a renovated 1,000-seat playhouse (the Helen Carey Playhouse, now home to BAM Rose Cinemas), and a flexible 300-seat performance venue (the Lepercq Space). In 1987, with Peter Brook’s Mahabharata, BAM opened another large stage—the 874-seat Majestic Theater—since renamed the Harvey Theater in honor of Harvey Lichtenstein (former president and executive producer). Since 1999, BAM has been led by President Karen Brooks Hopkins and by Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo, who curates the Next Wave Festival and served as the producer of the inaugural festival.

Credits

BAM 2008 Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group. Leadership support for the Next Wave Festival is provided by The Ford Foundation.

Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors, including: The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; New York City Council; Estate of Richard B. Fisher; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; The Starr Foundation; Robert Sterling Clark Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Carnegie Corporation of New York; Time Warner Inc.; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Skirball Foundation; The SHS Foundation; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; New York State Assembly Brooklyn Delegation; Friends of BAM and BAM Cinema Club.  Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. R/GA is the BAM.org sponsor. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM.

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