Biography

 Roland Maria Stangier studied at the College of Music, Würzburg. Moreover, he studied privately as well as in the context of the Berlin allies’ “Air bridge memorial bursary” (Bourse du mémorial du pont aérien) in Paris and Strasbourg, which was awarded to an organist for the first time. His teachers were Daniel Roth and André Fleury.

It was already during his time at school and within his studies that he was the conductor of choirs and instrumental ensembles as well as an award winner of various competitions.

Since 1982 he has been choirmaster and organist in Schopfheim (Town Church), Berlin (St. Matthew Church), Solothurn in Switzerland (Reformed City Church), leading church musician at the main church St. Petri, Hamburg, and conductor of the local Bach Choir from 1991 to 1995.

After perennial lectureships at the Archiepiscopal School of Church Music Berlin and the College of Arts Bremen, he was appointed professor for organ and organ improvisation at the Folkwang University of the Arts in 1994.

In 1996 he was the initiator and artistic director of the international improvisation “Concours Maurice Duruflé” under Marie-Madeleine Duruflé’s patronage.

Being the curator of the organ of the “Philharmonie Essen”, he gave numerous concerts and performances from 2003 to 2017. From 2009 through 2020 he was one of the curators of the Eule-organ in the “Mercatorhalle Duisburg” Philharmonic.

From 2010 until 2023 he acted in cooperation with the Folkwang University of the Arts as titular organist of the great Schuke-organ in the “Kreuzeskirche Essen”. The pedagogical focus of his international class were concerts called ‘organ studio’ with a focus on chamber music for organ and courses with guests as well as excursions throughout Europe.

He is a frequent organ recitalist and has given concerts with a broad repertoire of music and a focus on “improvisation” in numerous places across the world. He has been involved in several CD recordings (organ solo as well as with accompaniment of orchestras – and broadcasts). The music he recorded includes works of Bach, Corrette, Mozart, Boëly, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Guilmant, Rheinberger, Karg-Elert, Hoyer, Vierne und Gárdonyi. Apart from that, he recorded improvisations and transcriptions (Handel, Holst).

In 2018 he became “Artist in Residence” of the Grace Church Washington DC, Georgetown. Since 2022 he is “Organist in Residence” at St. Lorenz, Nuremberg.