Benoit Rolland
bow maker
Benoît Rolland has devoted his entire life to music and to maintaining the excellence of the French art of bow making. A pianist and violinist, he graduated from the Paris and Versailles conservatories at the age of 16, before studying bow making with Bernard Ouchard in Mirecourt (1971-1975). Since 1971, he has handcrafted more than 2000 Pernambuco bows, 1750 of which are numbered and catalogued, and played in 57 countries around the world.
For Benoît, music is an integral part of bow making. The bow is the voice of the musician, an object of deceptive simplicity that is a complex tool at the service of the instrumentalist's personal sensitivity. Rolland bows are individually designed for the technique and artistic project of each musician.
His bows have been continuously played by major artists, from Sir Menuhin to Anne-Sophie Mutter and Kim Kashkashian, from Maurice Gendron and Rostropovich to Yo-Yo Ma, and continue today with the new generation of up-and-coming musicians such as In Mo Yang and Maria Loudenitch. Benoît also serves jazz musicians, having made bows for Stéphane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty.
Benoît Rolland is a visionary who has brought the bow, unchanged since its definition in 18th century France, some new elements to adapt it to the modern era. A pioneer of carbon fibre bows in the 1980s (Spiccato), he evolved the functionality of the classical bow with the Galliane inclined frog in 2013. In 2017, he created a new conductor's baton design. He is currently working on the next generation of synthetic bows and on a specific concept of bows for children. In addition to the evolution of the craft, Benoît is committed to preserving and sharing the historical legacy and experience he has accumulated.
His workshop is located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres 2017,
MacArthur Fellow 2012,
Master of Art 1983, Paris 1983
Meilleur Ouvrier de France, Paris 1979.
More information on benoitrolland.com, galliane.com, spiccato.com and conductorbaton.com.