Benoît Rolland (born September 12, 1954) is a distinguished French bow maker ([i]archetier[/i]) known for his international acclaim. He was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship in 2012 and was honored as a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the French Order of Arts and Letters) in 2017. In 2003, Rolland made a permanent move to the United States, where he currently operates from his home studio in Boston, Massachusetts.

Over the course of his career, Rolland has crafted approximately 2,000 handmade Pernambuco bows for violin, viola, and cello, commissioned by an array of esteemed musicians, including Yehudi Menuhin, Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Ivry Gitlis, Arthur Grumiaux, Christian Ferras, Maurice Gendron, Josef Suk, Henryk Szeryng, Stéphane Grappelli, Jaime Laredo, Jean-Pierre Wallez, Jean-Luc Ponty, Heinrich Schiff, Christian Tetzlaff, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Yo-Yo Ma, Miriam Fried, Lynn Harrell, Kim Kashkashian, and Julia Fischer (4). His bows, often adorned with precious metals and gems, are not only functional but are also considered art pieces. They are included in the collection at the and have been showcased in various exhibitions, fetching auction prices as high as $27,000.

Rolland's musical journey began at the age of four, studying with his grandmother, the concert pianist Germaine Thyssens-Valentin. He graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris and in 1970, where he studied violin under the guidance of Alfred Loewenguth and Line Talluel.

At seventeen, Rolland decided to forgo a career as a soloist to enroll in the historical Bow-Making School of Mirecourt, where he trained under Bernard Ouchard (1925–1979), recognized as one of France's last great archetiers. After graduating in 1974, he established his first atelier in Paris, quickly gaining recognition for his craftsmanship. By 1979, he became the youngest recipient of the prestigious [i]Meilleur Ouvrier de France[/i] award. In 1983, he was awarded the national title of Maitre Archetier d'Art (Master of Bow-Making Arts).

In the early 1980s, Rolland sought solitude on Île-de-Bréhat, a small island off the coast of Brittany. Concerned about the reliance of bow-making on endangered Pernambuco wood, he dedicated nearly a decade to researching alternative high-tech materials. This culminated in 1991 with the introduction of [b]Spiccato[/b], the first carbon fiber bow of concert quality ever produced. Additionally, he developed a unique inner tension mechanism that allows performers to adjust the bow's camber during performances.

Rolland's innovative spirit continued with the introduction of the [b]Galliane[/b] bow frog in 2013, which positions the bow's hair at a more ergonomic angle to align with the musician's natural wrist movement, significantly enhancing control without compromising the bow's weight or balance. This frog can be fitted onto any existing stick, including fine historical bows.

In recent years, Benoît Rolland has expanded his craft to include conductor batons, with a new design debuting in July 2017, when Andris Nelsons conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This baton has since been adopted by several notable conductors, including Λεωνίδας Καβάκος, Ken-David Masur, Alan Gilbert (2), and Victor Yampolsky.