An American composer born July 12, 1952 in Berkeley (United-States).
After studying philosophy and music in San Francisco, Étienne Rolin took advanced classes in France with Nadia Boulanger, Olivier Messiaen and Iannis Xenakis. He also took part in the courses and followed the teachings of Franco Donatoni, György Ligeti and Witold Lutoslawski.
The composer of some thousand opus numbers ranging from solo to opera via jazz ensembles, he has written very many teaching pieces for initiation into contemporary languages. His works, played in Europe and North America, have been premiered by prestigious ensembles such as 2e2m, Accroche Note, the Ensemble Intercontemporain and Ars Nova.
The author of works on the composition/improvisation relationship, Rolin specialises in ‘comprovisation’, integrating the diversity of composition and the variation of improvisation. He practises sound-painting, composition in real time, notably with his ensemble, the Nasa (Nouvelle Assemblée Sonore d'Aquitaine). A musician, poly-instrumentalist (saxophones, flutes, clarinets), he is a member of several ensembles of contemporary music and of improvisation groups. He is particularly interested in Indian ragas and gives recitals with the bansuri flute. Also a painter, he incorporates his own paintings into multidisciplinary projects blending music, dance, painting, poetry and drama.
The founder of Erol Records and cofounder of the publisher Éditions Tempéraments, he also teaches analysis and improvisation at the Bordeaux Conservatory and teaches at the Pôle Supérieur and at the University of Bordeaux.
