Programme

What a celebration for young and old alike! At the family concert in Luitpoldhain, the Nuremberg State Philharmonic Orchestra, under the theme “Summer Festival in the Park,” uses music to show what a celebration sounds like. Claude Debussy captures the excited atmosphere of the morning, Edward Elgar characterizes the various guests, and Edvard Grieg sets the stage for dancing—until, by the end, everyone is tapping their feet in delight. While General Music Director Roland Böer conducts the orchestra, music theater educator Philipp Roosz playfully guides the audience through the program.

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At the family concert in the Luitpoldhain, the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg takes young and old visitors on a musical journey to our neighboring country, the Czech Republic. Tour guide and music theatre educator Philipp Roosz meets the composer Antonín Dvořák to dance along with him. Bedřich Smetana leads us on a musical trip along the Moldau River: past a lively country wedding, mysterious river nymphs, roaring rapids, and into the golden capital Prague. Have you packed your picnic baskets yet?

Roland Böer has been General Music Director of the Staatstheater Nürnberg and Chief Conductor of the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg since the 2023/24 season. He has made guest appearances at leading international opera houses such as Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Opera House and English National Opera London, as well as Deutsche Oper and Komische Oper Berlin. As a concert conductor, he has led renowned orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie. From 2002 to 2008, he was Kapellmeister at Frankfurt Opera. From 2009, he conducted the "Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte di Montepulciano" festival for twelve years and was Principal Guest Conductor of the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg until 2019. He has made recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Bamberger Symphoniker, among others. Roland Böer was honoured by the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with the Congregation Award RNCM Fellow and is an honorary citizen of the city of Montepulciano.

The Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg is the largest orchestra in the metropolitan region and the second-largest opera and concert orchestra in Bavaria. Since the 2023/24 season, Roland Böer has led the orchestra as General Music Director. Previous General Music Directors include Marcus Bosch and Joana Mallwitz. Each year, the orchestra presents around 150 opera and ballet performances, as well as its own concert series at the Meistersingerhalle, complemented by special projects such as New Year’s concerts and the “Dreiklang” series. The orchestra’s history dates back to 1377, but it was officially founded in 1922 as the “Nürnberger Philharmoniker.” In 2012, the orchestra was renamed “Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg” and an orchestra academy was established. For its 100th anniversary in 2022, the State Theatre founded the “Junge Staatsphilharmonie” on the initiative of Joana Mallwitz. Concerts and opera performances are regularly broadcast by BR-Klassik and Deutschlandradio Kultur.

Since the 2018–19 season, Philipp Roosz has served as a music theater and concert educator at the Nuremberg State Theater. There, he oversees the music education outreach program and, together with dramaturge Wiebke Hetmanek, is responsible for the State Philharmonic’s concerts for children and young people. Not only does he appear on stage at the opera house as a presenter for many concerts, but he also directs the children’s opera choir. He is particularly passionate about the diversity of the theater education programs, which aim to welcome all music lovers—from first-time visitors to those seeking advanced training. The family concert at the Klassik Open Air is a wonderful opportunity every year to inspire people with great orchestral music.

Philipp Roosz studied music and German education as well as a bachelor’s degree in voice at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. He has previously hosted family concerts with the chamber choir figure humaine, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and at the National Theater Mannheim. His work as a music educator has taken him to institutions such as the International Bach Academy Stuttgart, the Landesakademie Ochsenhausen, the Junge Oper, and the boys’ choir collegium iuvenum Stuttgart. In Nuremberg, he has been one of the choir directors at unisono, the music school’s youth choir, since September 2021.

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Since the 2018/19 season, Philipp Roosz has been the music theatre and concert education specialist at Staatstheater Nürnberg. He is responsible for the theatre’s music education programme and presents children’s and youth concerts with the Staatsphilharmonie. He also leads the children's opera choir and places particular emphasis on creating diverse programmes that appeal to music lovers of all ages. Roosz studied music, German and voice in Stuttgart, and works as a singer, narrator, and director. In the upcoming season, he will host family concerts with the figure humaine chamber choir, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and at the National Theatre Mannheim. Since September 2021, he has also been the choir director of unisono, the youth choir of the Nuremberg Music School.