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

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

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 U ...

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 wi ...

, 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 The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hod ...

in 1973–74), then with

Richard Felciano Richard James Felciano (born December 7, 1930) is an American composer. Life Felciano was born in Santa Rosa, California and studied at San Francisco State College where he received his BA in 1952. In the same year he also obtained an MA from Mill ...

, 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 P ...

and Olly Wilson 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, 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 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Va ...

, 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 Kyle Eugene Gann (born November 21, 1955, in Dallas, Texas) is an American professor of music, critic, analyst, and composer who has worked primarily in the New York City area. As a music critic for ''The Village Voice'' (from 1986 to 2005) and ...

, ''

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 877) *''Neil Rolnick: Extended Family'' (2011) ( Innova Records 782) *''The NYFA Collection: 25 Years of New York New Music'' (includes ''The Gathering'' from ''Extended Family'') (2010) ( Innova Records 233) *''Neil Rolnick: The Economic Engine'' (2009) ( Innova Records 724) *''Neil Rolnick: Digits'' (2006) ( Innova Records 656) *''Neil Rolnick: Shadow Quartet'' (2005) ( Innova Records 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 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 firs ...

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, Non ...

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. Composers Recordings, Inc. (CRI) was an American record label dedicated to the recording of contemporary classical music by American composers. It was founded in 1954 by Otto Luening, Douglas Moore, and Oliver Daniel, and based in New York City. ...

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 Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicology, musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), whi ...

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 th ...

(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 ...

(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