James Rolfe

Biography

Sample Works

Toronto composer James Rolfe has been commissioned and performed by ensembles in Canada (including Arraymusic, Continuum, Esprit Orchestra, Soundstreams, and Vancouver New Music), the USA (Bang on a Can All-Stars), Europe (Asko Ensemble, Ensemble Contrechamps de Genève, Ensemble Avant Garde, Ives Ensemble, Ixion Ensemble, Nash Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble), and New Zealand (175 East). He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2000, the K. M. Hunter Music Award in 2003, the 2005 Louis Applebaum Composers Award, and the 2006 Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music for raW, which was later toured in Europe by Toronto’s Continuum Contemporary Music.

Mr. Rolfe writes music for chamber ensemble, orchestra, choir, voice, and the operatic stage. The Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company produced his first opera, Beatrice Chancy, in 1998-99 in Toronto, Dartmouth, and Edmonton. In February 2009 they premiered Inês, which features a Portuguese Fado singer alongside four opera singers. In 2006, the children’s opera Elijah’s Kite was premiered in New York by Tapestry New Opera Works with the Manhattan School of Music, and given its Canadian premiere at Rideau Hall. Swoon was premiered in December 2006 by the Canadian Opera Company, which has since commissioned a new opera to be premiered in 2012.

July 2009

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