Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and MacArthur Fellow 2012, recognized among talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits, Benoit Rolland dedicates his life to music and to the preservation and advancement of the art of bow making.

In 2013, Benoit Rolland proposes a fundamental evolution of the classical bow with his creation of the Galliane™ frog that sets the hair at an ergonomic angle that follows the musician's natural wrist movement.

A musician as well as master artisan, Benoit Rolland's life is dedicated to music and to developing the French tradition of fine bow making. Born and educated in France, where he began to make bows more than 44 years ago, Benoît Rolland now resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

For Benoit, bow making is as much a philosophy as a creation, and this is reflected in his life path. With perfect pitch, he learned to read and write music as though he was learning language. Before turning to the vocation of bow making, music and performance were integral parts of his life. He developed early musical skills at the piano, rigorously and daily practicing the instrument since age five, under the mentoring of renowned pianist Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, his grandmother. She was a close friend to the composer Olivier Messiaen, whose music profoundly impressed Benoit . After the piano, he chose the violin. At sixteen, he graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris and Versailles with a focus on violin and composition. As a young violinist, he learned that a bow can influence the behavior of both the violin and the player.