William Michael Rooke (born O'Rourke, changed his surname about 1813) (29 September 1794 - 14 October 1847), was an Irish violinist and composer.
Rooke was born in South Great George's St, Dublin. Between 1815 and 1817 he was a teacher of Michael William Balfe. While chorus master and a member of the orchestra at a Dublin theatre between 1817 and 1823, Rooke composed his first opera Amilie, or the Love Test, which however was not performed until 1837 (at Covent Garden Theatre, London). Balfe himself sang in the opera at an 1838 performance in Dublin.[1]
In 1821 he moved to England and worked at various times in Birmingham and London, where from 1830-1833 he led the orchestra at Vauxhall Gardens. He died in London.
Rooke's opera Henrique (1839) was unsuccessful (it was possibly withdrawn following arguments with William Macready, the manager), and his further works Cagliostro and The Valkyrie remained unperformed.
He was buried in Brompton Cemetery.