Biography

Roland Schlieder has toured through Latin-America, Germany, and the United States as performer and teacher. He began playing the guitar learning by ear at the age of 14, listening to the recordings of Narciso Yepes and Pepe Romero. After his school studies, Schlieder graduated first in mechanical engineering, with honors and in Munich he studies business administration. In 1995 after a personal encounter with Maestros Leo Brouwer and David Russell he decided to leave Germany and study classical guitar in the Unites States. After several masterclasses with Costas Cotsiolis, Andrew York, Manuel Barrueco, David Russell, Leo Brouwer, still as a self-taught, he received a scholarship from Butler University in 1996. He studied guitar with Brett Terrell, choral conducting with Dr. Eric Stark, orchesral conducting with Stanley DeRusha. He studied concurently at Indiana University with Maestro Petar Jankovic. After 3 years he graduated from Butler University and in 2000 he received a scholarship for a master's degree at San Diego State University, where he studied with Celin Romero, member of the re-known guitar family "Los Romeros". Maestro Celin Romero guided him for 3 years in developing his own technique; the relationship to the Romero family, especially to Celin, gave him special input in performance and musical development. His concert repertoire expanded with a strong focus on technical preparation, which culminated in his own technical approach "Control Technique". From 2000-2003 he was artist-in-residence at San Diego State University and also orchestra assistant of Maestro Dr. Donald Barra; his knowledge of business administration helped him earn a posotion as orchestra manager. After graduating in 2003 he received an offer to form a new and first symphony orchestra in the city where he was born, Santz Cruz, Bolivia. Together with violin teacher Dr. Kenneth Sarch and the Fullbright Scholarship Program. The Youth Symphony Orchestra presented in September 2003 its first concerts. Maestro Schlieder decided to stay in Santa Cruz inorder to guide the orchestra into the future as artistic director and principal conductor. In July 2005 Schlieder was invited to conduct the anniversary concert of the CAF (Corporation of Countries of the Andes) in La Paz, where he worked with 300 voices and 150 musicians in the orchestra, performing Vivaldi's Gloria and other masterworks. In 2006 Schlieder was invited to conduct Haendel's Messiah during the VI. International Baroque Festival in Santa Cruz and was commissioned to arrange and perform a rediscovered work by Domenico Zipoli, Te Deum laudamus, for choir and orchestra. In 2007 this Italian baroque masterpiece (discovered in the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos/Bolivia, South America) was published together with Schlieder's critical notes. In 2006 Schlieder received the national prize "Man of the Arts" and was nominaded for the international TOYP prize (The Outstanding Young Professional in the Arts). He conducts orchestras and choirs in South America and was proffesor of Music Theory at the UEB (Evangelic Univerisity of Bolivia). Through the possibility of performing with a symphony orchestra Maestro Schlieder has focused on the presentation of an extensive guitar concerto repertoire. He left the Symphony Orchestra of Santa Cruz in 2011 and dedicated himself to the classical guitar. He dedicates most of his time to his Technical Study Book, Control Technique, which expands the technical repertoire with great focus on finger-independence training. Performances at San Agustin International Chamber Music Festival in Florida, Chamber Music Summer Festival of the University of Osnabrueck/Germany, caught the audiences' attention. He was invited to perform Concierto de Aranjuez with the University of Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra in 2016. In his career Mr. Schlieder collaborated with such musicians as Roberto Sechi, Felix Olschofka, Alexander Schimpf, Eugenio Urrutia, Jorge Pena, William Grub, and many more. Mr. Schlieder has a strong focus on chamber music, especially by Nicolo Paganini. In october 2023 Schlieder won the SoundEspressivo Concerto Competition that allows him to perform with the New York Chamber Players Orchestra at Carnegie Hall-New York. In April 2024 he will perform the famous Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo at the Carnegie Hall in New York.

Teaching is passion

Everywhere Roland Schlieder performs a concert, he loves to teach as well. Teaching is a process of understanding the music and the instrument better; and passing over to the students the knwoledge and passion that he has for the guitar music.

Your aproach on technique is much more vidid, practical and detailled, much more effective then any other I have ever seen.

A nice comment of few students in the US