July 27th, 2026 — Black Joy Verses by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) (CRF 2024) will make its world premiere in Spring 2027. Known for his signature violin sounds infused with myriad electronic and African-American music influences, the composer was co-commissioned by American Composers Forum (ACF) and Castle of our Skins for ACF’s Recomposing America project, a multi-year initiative that highlights artistic perspectives unique to the United States and the broader Americas, timed with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The project aims to refresh and reimagine the “who,” “what,” and “why” of the United States, and the stories therein.
The musical composition explores Black agency, self-determination and creativity — highlighting and illuminating the virtuoso talents of orchestral musicians within a full body embrace of their expressive capabilities. The orchestra will play, speak, sing, shout, whisper, and produce sounds that express the soulful, loving, and powerful legacy of tragedy and triumph our collective American history continues to grapple with. The work will incorporate the writings of Frederick Douglas, Earnest Roumain (a contemporary of Frederick Douglas and relative to DBR), and bell hooks, principally concepts from their “All About Love,” a manual on how we all do and won’t love.