Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) is a young American composer (of Haitian ancestry) and violinist in whose company I spent yesterday evening. DBR, along with pianist Wynne Bennett and violinist Anthea Kreston performed an eclectic program including some of DBR's own compositions as well as those of JS Bach and Bartok. DBR is an entertaining performer: some traditionalists might claim his showmanship stands in the way of the music, but I think for this type of program that's not the case. His composition "Filter" is scored for violin and voice, and he acquitted himself in both roles quite well. I found it an enjoyable and arresting work (actually I'm not sure where "Dreds" and "Black Man Singing" left off and "Filter" began, as he ran the three compositions together). There is a fair amount of body language in DBR's stage presence, but that seems not out of place with music with titles like "Cool Jam" and "Hot Jam". DBR and Ms. Bennett also performed the prayer from DBR's "Voodoo Violin Concerto, No. 1", a pleasing, if somewhat repetitious, work with jazz influences as well as some good ole down home Country and Western fiddlin'. DBR rounded out the first half of the program with his own arrangement of "Hatikvah, My Country" in which he juxtaposed themes from Hatikvah and America (known to some on this list as "God Save the Queen"). He announced that the work was the first piece he performed in public, when he was five years old (I assume he meant Hatikvah, the work to which he gave greater prominence in his arrangement). Anthea Kreston led off the second program with a thoroughly competent "Chaconne in D minor" by JS Bach (um, I think that's the chaconne movement from the Partita in D minor), although I think her rendition would not be ranked among the great performances of that complex work. I found some of the violinist's mannerisms to be a bit distracting during that work, so my eyes frequently rested on DBR, who sat on stage through her performance like a granite statue- so much at variance with his posture when he took the limelight. DBR then stepped to the side of the stage to perform Philip Glass' "Strung Out", a work that elevates repetition to a high art form, but would probably disappoint those who think that music should present contrasting moods, or contrasting anything. DBR himself seemed to agree when, after polite applause, he said, "Thank you for being patient". I concede, I found the work to be minimally interesting. The pair then performed some of Bartok's "44 Duos For Two Violins". DBR proved himself capable of not taking himself too seriously when he flipped to the wrong duo of this piece, leading to an interesting moment with Ms. Kreston. He clued in the audience by matter of factly stating, "I'm sorry, that was my mistake" as the pair prepared to begin again. DBR makes music fun- he evidently enjoys this process of making music. His compositions are fun to hear, and they demand the violin create sounds that I suspect Stradavari never contemplated. My sense is they do not require the greatest technical mastery or the most subtle or complex intonation of which his instrument is capable. For three years, I have subscribed to the string series at the Kennedy Center that featured DBR last evening. I think attendance at last night's performance was the most I have seen, and was easily one of the most enthusiastically received. DBR unabashedly brings his own style and emphasis to the world of chamber music. And his interspersing music from the standard repertoire with music like "Filter" and "Hip-Hop Studies and Etudes" probably serves the cause of bringing music like Bach's Partita to people who are unfamiliar with that genre. Larry Sherwood