Dr. James Rolfe

Biography

Toronto composer James Rolfe has been commissioned and performed by ensembles, orchestras, choirs, theatres, and opera companies across Canada, the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. He has received several prestigious awards including the Guggenheim Fellowship, K. M. Hunter Music Award, Louis Applebaum Composers Award, and the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music. His opera 'Beatrice Chancy' received rave reviews and sold-out performances in Toronto, Dartmouth, and Edmonton. Rolfe's music theatre production 'Inês' was nominated for a Dora Award. His works such as 'masques'—including 'Orpheus Eurydice', 'Aeneas Dido', and 'Europa'—were premiered at the Toronto Masque Theatre, garnering critical acclaim. Notable premieres include 'Elijah’s Kite', co-produced with New York Tapestry Opera at the Manhattan School of Music and later received its Canadian premiere at Rideau Hall. His opera 'Swoon' premiered with the Canadian Opera Company, and his commissioned work 'Crush' had a workshop production at the Banff Centre in 2015. In collaboration with choreographer James Kudelka and writer Alex Poch-Goldin, he created 'Nature', produced by Coleman Lemieux Compagnie in 2016. Current projects include a new operatic adaptation of Gogol's 'Overcoat' with Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera, as well as new works for soprano Janice Jackson and Hannaford Street Silver Band. His CD 'Breathe' featuring works for voices and early instruments was released by Centrediscs in spring 2017.

Research Interests