Roland Mell
Roland Mell was born in Berlin in 1954. After completing his High School Diploma, he studied at the Freie University Berlin and Hochschule der Kunst Berlin (Music Conservatory of Berlin) Slavic Studies, Musicology, Church Music, German Studies, and later School Music Education. His first contact to the musical theater began during his studies, at the State Theater Giessen (stage music, conducting, choir direction). He also participated in orchestral conducting seminars, conductor workshops, and master classes: working during this time closely together with various ensembles in both the amateur and professional scenes (for example, accordion and wind orchestras, choirs, chamber and symphony orchestras). In 1992, he began an internship with the Deutsche Oper Berlin (German Opera) involving choir direction and conducting. He accompanied singers, actors, and cabaret artists, as well as working at the same time as composer, arranger, and musician for different CD productions.
He has written various compositions in numerous arrangements since the middle of the 1980's. In 1991, "rondo incredibile" premiered in SFB Radio, in 1995 "cantare" for voice virtuosi, keyboard, and chamber orchestra and in 1996 "city music" for 3 winds, string orchestra and radio. In April 1997, his "Concerto for alt-saxophone and orchestra" received first prize from the Paul-Woitschach Scholarship Foundation in the composition competition category of "popular symphonic". In 1999, his composition "Fliegen, fliegen- Tag und Nacht" (Fly, fly- Day and Night) for soprano and orchestra, based on a text from Horst Pillau was premiered under the setting of the international "Berlin Airlift-Concerts" in the Tempelhof Airport.
In 1993, Roland Mell founded the "Berlin Chamber Orchestra" (BKO) with whom he regularly concertizes in Berlin and Brandenburg, and more recently in various concert series. Roland Mell and the BKO Orchestra have performed in such concert series as the "Charlottenburg Serenade Concerts" in the Charlottenburg Castle, "Italian Evenings", "Classic in the Europa-Center", "Classic in the Parking Lot", "Concert Summer in the English Garden", the concert series "Berlin Composers", the "Berlin Airlift-Concerts" in the Berlin airports, in the Philharmonic, and the Konzerthaus Berlin, in New Year's concerts as well as participation in the musical framework for the yearly "Jedermann" theater production in the Berlin Cathedral. In the summer of 2000, he made a CD production with the Berlin Chamber Orchestra recording works by Haydn, Grétry, Bach and Mozart and conducted during their Spanish tour, which included 18 concerts in Catalonia, Andalusia, Catilia and Galicia. Most recently, in the fall of 2001, a CD with works by Bononcini, Boccherini, Friedrich the Great, Nicolai and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was recorded. After the completion of his studies, Roland Mell was teacher for conducting at the Bundesmusikakademie (federal music academy) in Trossingen and served as musical director for the Berlin Cabaret-Theater "Die Stachelschweine" (the Porcupine) from 1995 - 1997. He has also participated regularly as a juror for different competitions including "Jugend musiziert", "Deutscher Orchester Competition", choir competitions, etc. In July 2000, Roland Mell, along with the "Camerata Instrumentale Berlin" performed the almost-forgotten art nouveau oratorio "La Vita Nuova" from Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari for narrator, soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra in the Berlin Cathedral and Cloister Chorin. So far he has conducted concerts in Germany, Austria, Greece, Spain and Turky. His latest composition is "Threnos II - the 11th of September"; the subjekt of which is the Terror Attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and was premiered in May, 2002 at the "Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt" in Berlin.
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