[2] Born in Quebec City, Rolland began his professional training in 1947 at the age of 15 at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal.

He studied there for seven years under such teachers as Fernand Gillet (oboe), Jeanne Landry (harmony), Gilberte Martin (theory, solfège), and Jean Papineau-Couture (dictation).

In 1954 he entered the New England Conservatory (NEC) where he continued to study under Gillet and earned a Bachelor of Music in 1957.

He later pursued further studies at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1960–1961 with Étienne Baudo (oboe); Eugène Bigot and Louis Fourestier (conducting), and Maurice Franck (theory).

In 1973 Rolland joined the faculty of the Université de Montréal in 1973 where he later served as dean of the music department from 1984 to 1988.