Niels Rosing-Schow graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen with the subjects music theory and history. Furthermore, between 1984 and '87 he studied composition with Prof. Ib Nørholm, followed by a short study trip to Paris. He now teaches music theory and composition at the Royal Academy of Music as well as having held several organizational posts in the musical life of Denmark.
Niels Rosing-Schow started his career as a composer in the early 70s in the socalled Group for Alternative Music. This group strived for an organizational and aesthetic alternative to the established new music circles. Rosing-Schow's works from the 70s are characterized by his constructive use of tonality and polyrhythmic stratification. In the early 80s he approached a more concentrated lyrical expression in - among others - a series of vocal works, whereas his works from the mid-80s signal an increasing interest in the music's extroverted expression. About 1990 this evolved into an intense preoccupation with the dramatic and expansive possibilities within the musical substance. In his recent works Rosing-Schow has worked with a formal process concept, incorporating elements inspired by French spectral music. Among his most important works are Trio per flauto, viola ed arpa (1983), Double (1987), Chamber Concert for alto flute, viola and orchestra (1988) and ...sous les râles du vent d'Est (1993), the vocal works Chants de l'Ombre (1987) for mixed choir, Archipel des Solitudes (1995) for mezzo, choir and large orchestra and the chamber operas Brand (Fire, 1989) and Dommen (The Verdict, 1996).
As early as 1982 Niels Rosing-Schow received the three year grant from the Danish Arts Foundation, and since then he has received numerous grants and prizes such as the Carl Nielsen Award in 1993 and the Schierbeck Grant in 1996.
