Neil Burton Rolnick (born October 22, 1947) is an American composer and educator living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Life

Rolnick was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, and studied English literature at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

where he received a BA in 1969. He then turned to music, studying composition first at the San Francisco Conservatory in 1973–74), then with Richard Felciano, and finally with

Andrew Imbrie Andrew Welsh Imbrie (April 6, 1921 – December 5, 2007) was an American contemporary classical music composer and pianist. Career Imbrie was born in New York City and began his musical training as a pianist when he was 4. In 1937, he went to Par ...

and

Olly Wilson Olly Woodrow Wilson, Jr. (September 7, 1937 – March 12, 2018) was an American composer of contemporary classical music, pianist, double bassist, and a musicologist. He was one of the most preeminent composers of African American descent in the ...

at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, where he received an MA in 1976 and a PhD in 1980. Concurrently he also studied computer music with

John Chowning John M. Chowning (; born August 22, 1934 in Salem, New Jersey) is an American composer, musician, discoverer, and professor best known for his work at Stanford University, the founding of CCRMA - Center for Computer Research in Music and Acou ...

at Stanford University and was a visiting researcher at

IRCAM IRCAM (French: ''Ircam, '', English: Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) is a French institute dedicated to the research of music and sound, especially in the fields of avant garde and electro-acoustical art music. It is ...

in Paris from 1977 to 1979 (Marshall 2001). Rolnick also studied composition with

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

(Oteri and Rolmick 2013) and

John Coolidge Adams John Coolidge Adams (born February 15, 1947) is an American composer and conductor whose music is rooted in minimalism. Among the most regularly performed composers of contemporary classical music, he is particularly noted for his operas, which a ...

, and computer music with James A. Moorer.. He has lived in New York City since 2002.

Teaching

From 1981 to 2013 Rolnick taught at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he founded the iEAR Studios (Marshall 2001). In 1991, as head of Rensselaer's Arts Department
Rensselaer Arts Department website
!--This promo page for Rensselaer does not even mention Rolnick, let alone confirm he was head in 1991.-->) he led the establishment of the nation's first MFA program in Integrated Electronic Arts.

Musical production

Rolnick's compositions have appeared on 18 records and CDs, and he was a pioneer in the use of computers in performance. Much of Rolnick's musical output involves the use of computers and digital media, but it is generally notable for its accessibility and good humor. His music has been characterized by critics as "sophisticated" (Ken Smith, ''Gramophone''), "hummable and engaging" (Steve Barnes, Albany (NY) '' Times Union''), and as having "good senses of showmanship and humor" ( Kyle Gann, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'').

Discography

*''Orchestra Underground: Tech & Techno'' (includes ''The iFiddle Concerto'') (2014) (digital release b
American Composers Orchestra
*''Neil Rolnick: Gardening At Gropius House'' (2013) (

Innova Records Innova Recordings is the independent record label of the non-profit American Composers Forum based in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1982 to document the winners of the McKnight Fellowship offered by its parent organization, the Minnesot ...

877) *''Neil Rolnick: Extended Family'' (2011) (

782) *''The NYFA Collection: 25 Years of New York New Music'' (includes ''The Gathering'' from ''Extended Family'') (2010) (

233) *''Neil Rolnick: The Economic Engine'' (2009) (

724) *''Neil Rolnick: Digits'' (2006) (

656) *''Neil Rolnick: Shadow Quartet'' (2005) (

631) *''Neil B. Rolnick's Fish Love That'' (2002) (Deep Listening Records DL 18-2002CD) *''Neil B. Rolnick: Requiem Songs: For the Victims of Nationalism'' (1996) (Albany Records Troy188) *''Transforms: The Nerve Event Project'' (includes ''NerveUs'') (1993) (

Cuneiform Records Cuneiform Records is a record label in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1984, the label releases an mixture of musical styles, all with a Rock in Opposition aesthetic, including progressive jazz, jazz fusion, the Canterbury scene, and elec ...

55011) *''Neil B. Rolnick: Macedonian Air Drumming'' (1992) (

Bridge Records Bridge Records is an independent record label that specializes in classical music located in New Rochelle, New York. History A classical guitarist, David Starobin recorded the Boccherini Guitar Quintet in E minor in the 1970s. This was his first ...

BCD9030) *''Neil B. Rolnick: ElectriCity'' (1992) (OO Discs #8) *''CDCM Computer Music Series Vol. 11'' (includes ''The Persistence of the Clave'') (1992) (Centaur Records CDC2133) *''CDCM Computer Music Seris Vol. 7'' (includes ''Vocal Chords'' and ''A Robert Johnson Sampler'') (1990) (Centaur Records CRC2047) *''Imaginary Landscapes'' (includes ''Balkanization'') (1989) (

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, No ...

9 79235-2) *''CDCM Computer Music Series Vol. 2'' (includes ''What Is the Use?'') (1988) Centaur Records CRC2039) *''Neil B. Rolnick: Real Time/A La Mode'' (1987) ( Composers Recordings, Inc. CRI SD 540) *''Neil B. Rolnick: Solos'' (1984) (1750 Arch Records S-1793)

References

*Marshall, Ingram D. 2001. "Rolnick, Neil Burton". ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers. * Transcribed by Julia Lu. (accessed October 3, 2013).

External links

Neil Rolnick official site
* (accessed October 3, 2013).

Listening

John Schaefer interviews Rolnick
on

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that ...

(2006)
Jennifer Nathan interviews Rolnick
on

WAMC WAMC is a public radio network headquartered in Albany, New York. The network has 12 broadcast radio stations (transmitters) and 16 broadcast relay stations (translators, repeaters). The two flagship stations in the WAMC network are WAMC-FM 90. ...

(2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rolnick, Neil 1947 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers American electronic musicians People from Dallas Harvard University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty Pupils of Darius Milhaud 21st-century American composers 20th-century American composers Albany Records artists