Since he moved to New York City in 2002, Neil Rolnick’s music has been receiving increasingly wide recognition and numerous performances both in the US and abroad. A pioneer in the use of computers in performance, beginning in the late 1970s, Rolnick has often included unexpected and unusual combinations of materials and media in his music. He has performed around the world, and his music has appeared on 13 CD’s.
Though much of Rolnick’s work has been in areas which connect music and technology, and is therefore considered in the realm of “experimental” music, his music has always been highly melodic and accessible. Whether working with electronic sounds, improvisation, or multimedia, his music has been characterized by critics as “sophisticated,” “hummable and engaging,” and as having “good senses of showmanship and humor.”
Since 2003 he has completed The Shadow Quartet, for the NYC-based string quartet Ethel, Fiddle Faddle, for violinist Todd Reynolds, Body Work for vocalist Joan La Barbara, The Real Thief of Baghdad for Tyrone Henderson, Ambos Mundos for the Quintet of the Americas, Plays Well With Others for Paul Dresher’s Electro-Acoustic Band in San Francisco, Making Light of It for baritone Thomas Buckner, Digits for pianist Kathleen Supové, Uptown Jump for the MAYA Trio, Segal’s Billboard for harpist Jacqueline Kerrod, The Bridge for the Albany Symphony’s Dogs of Desire and the iFiddle Concerto for the American Composers Orchestra with soloist Todd Reynolds. His 13th CD, Digits, was released in 2006 on the Innova label.
Rolnick teaches at Rensselaer Pulytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, where he was founding director of the iEAR Studios.