Julio Roloff
Director, Subtropics Archive
Julio Roloff is a composer of electro-acoustic, computer an experimental classical music, was born in 1951, in Havana, Cuba, and naturalized American Citizen. He started his early musical education at the Conservatory Amadeo Roldan in his native city where he studied double-bass, percussion and music theory.
Continued studies and graduated at Ignacio Cervantes Professional School of Music where he studied double-bass, percussion, harmony, orchestration, counterpoint and fugue.
Later he earned a Bachelor degree in music theory and composition from the School of Music of the Instituto Superior de Arte, Universidad de La Habana, where he studied composition with professors Roberto Valera, Carlos Fariñas, Harold Gramatges, Sergio Fernandez Barroso, Felix Guerrero, Alfredo Diez- Nieto and Armando Romeu.
He attended master classes in composition with professors Lejaren Hiller, Manuel Enríquez, Ton de Leeuw, Marin Goleminov, Witold Rudzinski and Luigi Nono.
In addition he attended post-graduate courses in sound engineering with professor Jerzy Belc and electro-acoustics with composer Juan Blanco, as well as MIDI computer music workshops with composers Andrew Schloss and Neil Leonard.
He was appointed music professor in harmony, counterpoint and chamber music at both, the Conservatory Amadeo Roldan and the National School of Music and senior producer at EGREM Recording Studios.
In 1984 he collaborated with pioneer avant-garde composer Juan Blanco and others in the foundation of the Electro-acoustic Music Studio TIME in Havana, later re-named Laboratorio Nacional de Musica Electroacustica (LNME).
Known for his scores for percussion instruments as well as for his electroacoustic and computer music for solo tape and for acoustic instruments and electronics, his catalog includes chamber and symphonic music and music for stage and films.
Aesthetically, his music is characterized by the influence of the master composers of the Twentieth Century, a multicultural heritage from Jazz and Afro-Cuban music to Classic Rock, a transparent language and the creative use of new, advanced and experimental techniques in composition.
His musical works have been performed, recorded and broadcasted in concerts and festivals throughout Europe and the Americas by distinguished soloist and ensembles.
As a composer he has been internationally laureate at the First International Tribune of Electro-acoustic Music held by UNESCO in 1984, in Paris, France, where his electro-acoustic work for solo tape “Halley 86” was selected to be worldwide broadcasted by the United Nations Radio Network; in 1986 at the Carlos Chavez International Composition Award held by the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica in Ciudad de Mexico for his “Concert for Violin and Orchestra;” in 1987 at the Toronto International Guitar Festival for his work “Cartas de Africa” for two guitars; in Cuba he received five times the National Music Award held by UNEAC.
Several books, articles, web sites and online publications mention his name and review his works including among others: Oxford Music Online; Wikipedia; Compositum Musicae Novae; Muziek Centrum Nederland; American Composers Orchestra; Concertzender; Computer Music Journal; Miami New Times; the Sun Sentinel News; and “Electrosound: Storia ed estetica della musica elettroacustica.”
Presently he is a member of the South Florida Composers Alliance (SFCA), curator responsible for the Subtropics Archives and works in collaboration with composer Gustavo Matamaros in the digitalization and production of the phonographic collection of live recordings “Twenty Years of Subtropic New Music Festival”. He is also part of the experimental music ensemble “Punto.”
In addition he worked or collaborated, among other with: Florida International University, Miami Dade College, Koubec Center, Sound Art Workshop (SAW), the Miami Beach Audiotheque and Listening Club at South Florida Arts Center, Tigertail Productions, Kendall Sound Art Series (KSAS), Inlets Ensemble, Edge Zone Art Projects, Coral Gables Museum and Compositum Musicae Novae (CMN).