Daniel Bowen is Robinson Fellow for Contemporary Art and Community Engagement 2025.

The Art League of Ocean City is pleased to announce that Daniel Bowen of Salisbury, Md., will serve as the 2025 Orem and Harriet Robinson Fellow for Contemporary Art and Community Engagement. Now in its seventh year, the fellowship provides opportunities for artistic growth while offering cultural enrichment to the Ocean City community, thanks to the generosity of Laura Jenkins, who endowed the program in memory of her parents, Orem and Harriet Robinson.

“Daniel is an incredibly gifted musician,” Jenkins said. “His ability to connect his gift with others with energy, empathy, and passion is truly remarkable and so needed in today’s chaotic times. We are honored to have him represent the Art League and the Robinson Fellowship.”

Bowen is a pianist, arranger, and composer for film and television whose work has reached national audiences, including orchestral arrangements for Grammy and Emmy-winning producers and projects for the NBA, NHL, TNT, ESPN, and Bravo. His recent score for the PBS feature documentary Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space is currently streaming nationwide.

A passionate advocate for using the arts to uplift communities, Bowen founded Symphony 21, a nonprofit organization on Maryland’s Eastern Shore dedicated to inspiring youth and uniting rural and underserved communities through the power of music. In its first two years, Symphony 21 reached over 5,000 students through free multimedia concerts and arts programming in schools, exposing young people to modern approaches to music,

technology, and the visual arts. His impact earned him recognition from the Kennedy Center, where he was invited to speak on the “Power of Music” during the REACH Opening Festival, and he received the NAACP Community Service Award for his work with youth in the region.

“I believe my continued commitment to enriching the lives of young people and the local community through my nonprofit’s outreach initiatives, concerts, and my vast experience in the arts and entertainment industry makes me a great fit for this position and an asset to the arts community,” Bowen said. “I believe this fellowship can create more awareness of my work and Symphony 21 in the Ocean City region.”

As part of his fellowship, Bowen plans to offer the Ocean City community a series of lectures and workshops focused on the power of music to transform communities, as well as how the arts can support mental health and well-being. He will present interactive workshops for young audiences and perform solo concerts that demonstrate the unifying force of music.

Bowen’s residency will culminate in a public performance at the Ocean City Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, followed by a performance specifically for Worcester County students on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.

“We are excited to continue this fellowship for a seventh year with Daniel’s unique energy and vision,” said Rina Thaler, executive director of the Art League of Ocean City. “His commitment to connecting people through the arts aligns perfectly with the mission of the Art League and the Robinson Fellowship, bringing meaningful opportunities for engagement to our community.”