Dr. Rodney Sharman was born May 24, 1958 in the town of Biggar, Saskatchewan. Sharman's parents were John Clifford Sharman and Irene Evelyn Iva nee Stockman. Sharman, a composer and musician studied first at the Victoria School of Music receiving his bachelor of music degree in 1980 before traveling to Freiburg, Germany to study at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik. In 1991, he earned his doctorate from State University of New York in Buffalo. Sharman was born to a school teacher on the Thunderchild Indian Reserve, and a mother of Moravian ehnicity. Sharman's family relocated to Victoria, British Columbia in 1973. He is the composer-in-residence for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He was the president of the Canadian League of Composers as well as president of Canadian Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music. Prior to this he had the distinction of being the Vancouver Symphony Composer and Music Advisor for four years.

Sharman has taught at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of British Columbia In 1990 he received the Kranichsteiner Music Prize from Germany. In 2001 he was awarded the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award Lynch-Staunton Award.

His compositions have been played internationally at music festivals and by orchestras world wide. As well dance groups such as the National Ballet of Canada have choreographed his music. He composed a chamber opera named "Elsewhereless " which has been performed numerous times across Canada and overseas. '"Letter for the Future" is a composition revolving around Galileo and his essence. He is noted for several pieces of work including "Opera Transcriptions: Turandot", "Proximity of Mars", "Dark Glasses", "Orpheus' Garden", "Predators of Light" and "Estarrung" to name a few.

Bibliography:

Bazzana, Kevin. "New work to launch symphony's season". Victoria Times Colonist. http://www.timescolonist.com/health/work+launch+symphony+season/1987001/story.html. Retrieved 2009-10-26.

"Composer Rodney Sharman MP3". EClassical Classical Download Shop. http://www.eclassical.com/eclassic/eclassical?&composer_id=713&letter=S&page=find_by_composer_list. Retrieved 2009-10-26.

"Lancette Arts - music08 TSO Brahms- Lancette Arts Journal". CamKohl Arts Productions. 2003. http://www.lancette-arts-journal.ca/music_08.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-25.

Lumley, Elizabeth (2002) (Digitised online by Google Books). Canada Who's Who 2002. University of Toronto Press. p.42. ISBN 0802049702, 9780802049704. http://books.google.ca/books?id=qdputV-PatcC&pg=PA42&lpg=PA42&dq=roy+atkinson+biggar,+Saskatchewan&source=bl&ots=1KeRON5x6y&sig=k983X8iJDRqYb77_G6ATUF0f6no&hl=en&ei=M6TvSvjhF4qwMOS-9Y0H&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CB0Q6AEwCDge#v=onepage&q=roy%20atkinson%20biggar%2C%20Saskatchewan&f=false. Retrieved 2009-11-02.

"“Music from Sea to Sky”: NAC Orchestra performs FREE concert including two commissioned world premieres on April 30 for BC Scene and the eXpressions new music festival". National Arts Centre. 2009. http://www.nac-cna.ca/en/news/viewnews.cfm?ID=1883. Retrieved 2009-10-23.

"Rodney Sharman". The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. 2009. http://www.abrsm.org/publishing/publications/150/person. Retrieved 2009-10-25.

Sharman, Rodney (October, 1999). "Bio". http://www.rodneysharman.com/bio.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
Sharman, rodney. "Feldman Program Note by Rodney Sharman". http://www.cnvill.net/mfsharmn.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-25.

"Vancouver International Song Institute". Guest Artists and Speakers: Rodney Sharman. http://www.songinstitute.ca/faculty/bios/sharman.shtml. Retrieved 2009-10-25.