BOLLE, James Age 87, of Harrisville, NH, died Sunday, April 14, 2019 of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was born in Evanston, Illinois on July 26, 1931, the son of Theodore and Dorothy Bolle.

A composer and conductor, Jim received instrumental training on violin, viola, and French horn; and theory instruction from pupils of Nadia Boulanger and Hindemith. A student at Harvard, Antioch College, and Northwestern, his most important composition teacher was Darius Milhaud.

He was instrumental in founding numerous musical organizations over the course of his life, the first being The Chicago Youth Orchestra, which he helped organize at the age of 15. He later founded the Chamber Music in Yellow Spring series in Ohio and the Chicago Community Music Foundation.

Since 1968, he lived in New Hampshire, where he founded both the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra, which he directed for 29 years, and the Monadnock Music Festival, which he directed for 42 years. He appeared as a guest conductor with orchestras in the US, Canada, Israel, Hungary, Russia, and Germany.

Known for his innovative and wide-ranging programming, he was responsible for important first performances or first US performances of numerous operas including: Lully's Armide, Handel's Lotamo, Haydn's Armide, Schubert's Die Freunden von Salamanka, and Weber's Abu Hassan. He conducted the first complete American performances of Elliott Carter's Symphonia and many other works. He also conducted the performance and recording of Virgil Thomson's Lord Byron.

As a composer, his works include the opera, Oleum Canis, after the story by Ambrose Bierce, 5 Sinfonies for ensembles ranging from orchestras to large chamber ensembles; 4 string quartets; concerti for piano, violin, oboe, and clarinet; orchestral works; and various vocal works, including a series of songs to texts by the poet August Kleinzahler.

Jim is survived by his wife of 66 years, Jocelyn Bolle, of Bedford, MA; his son, Ned Bolle (Linda Bolle) of Reading, MA; his daughter, Susanna Bolle (Shaun Gummere) of Brookline, MA; his daughter-in-law, Maggie Grieve of Washington, DC, and his granddaughter, Maia Grieve of New York, NY. He was predeceased by his son Christopher Bolle of Washington, DC.

The family is planning a memorial concert in NH this summer. Donations in his memory may be made to Dance for PD, which organizes dance classes for people with Parkinson's disease ( www.danceforparkinsons.org ), the Non-Event concert series ( www.nonevent.org ), or Monadnock Music ( www.monadnockmusic.org ).