Roman Stolyar

Roman Stolyar (born December 6, 1967) is a Russian composer, piano improviser and educator.

Born in Novosibirsk, Siberia, in a family of engineers, Stolyar graduated from Novosibirsk College of Music as a jazz pianist and from Novosibirsk State Concervatoire as a composer of contemporary and electronic music.

As an improviser, he has collaborated with Dominic Duval, William Parker, Vinny Golia, Stephen Nachmanovitch, Marco Eneidi, Weasel Walter, Susan Allen, Tanya Kalmanovitch, Oliver Lake, Assif Tsahar, Glen Hall, Thomas Buckner, Martin Kuchen, Ed Sarath, Jin Hi Kim, Ilia Belorukov, Sergey Letov and others.

His music has been released on labels Cadence Jazz, Electroshock Records, SoLyd, Ayler Records, NewFolder2, Creative Sources, Bomba Piter, and Ermatell Records.

Living in Novosibirsk, he was working as an educator at Novosibirsk College of Music and as a music director of Novosibirsk State Theatre "Globe".

His book Modern Improvisation: A Practical Guide for Piano was published in Russia in 2010.

In 2018 he moved in Saint Petersburg where he worked in Boris Tischenko Music College and continued composing music for theater shows, playing improv concerts and giving lectures and workshops on theory and history of free improvisation.

When Putin's invasion of Ukraine started in 2022, Roman Stolyar expressed his protests against war and growing reperssions in Russia in a number of interviews given to European mass media.

He finally left Russia in February 2023 and is currently living and working in Berlin, Germany, collaborating with a number of Berlin-based musicians– Edith Steyer, Meinrad Kneer, Sam Hall, Vincent Laju, Lina Allemano, Anna Kaluza, Johannes von Wrochem and many others.

He is also a member of IDENTITIES Quintet which unites improvisers of various nations living in Berlin.

He is a member of the Russian Composers Union and member of the Advisory Council of International Society for Improvised Music.