The American baritone and chorale conductor, Miles Canaday, began singing as a treble in the Choir of Men and Boys at Christ Church Episcopal in Greenwich, Connecticut at age 9, and studied voice, solfeggio, piano and music theory with Joseph Leniado-Chira. attended Phillips Academy Andover. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with honors from Harvard College (2006-2010), where he studied conducting with Jameson Marvin and Federico Cortese and was President of the Harvard Glee Club. With a keen interest in early 20th century music, he completed a senior thesis analyzing patterns and cacophony in Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka. He completed his Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at Yale School of Music (2010-2012), studying with Professors Marguerite Brooks and Jeffrey Douma, and receiving coaching from Masaaki Suzuki, Simon Carrington, and Simon Halsey. During his time at Yale, he was the Assistant Conductor of the Yale Glee Club and the Principal Assistant Conductor of the Yale Camerata. He obtained his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York (2015-2018), where he studies under Dr. William Weinert, and received the Walter Hagen Prize in Conducting. His critical edition of works by Renaissance composer Sebastián de Vivanco is forthcoming with A-R Editions.
Miles Canaday conducted various collegiate, church and community ensembles across Colorado, including the Metropolitan State University of Denver Women’s Chamber Choir (August 2013-May 2014), St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Choirs in Aurora, Colorado (August 2012-June 2014), Laudamus Chamber Chorale of Fort Collins (January 2013-May 2015). He also served as Community Chorus Director at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (June 2015-July 2016), and directed them in Geneva, New York. In March 2017, he collaborated with his colleagues in the complete presentation of J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244), conducted by David Chin. He served as Visiting Director of Choirs at William & Mary (August 2017-May 2018), where he conducted over thirty performances on campus and on tour, including a premiere at commencement. As Assistant Conductor for the Eastman Chorale and the Eastman-Rochester Chorus, he conducted Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem and prepared the ensemble for a performance of W.A. Mozart’s Requiem with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
In August 2022, Miles Canaday became Artistic Director of the Thomas Circle Singers after four years as Assistant Professor of Music at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington (May 2018-2022), where he directed the Whitman Chorale and Chamber Singers and designed courses in conducting and American music. During his time at Whitman, these ensembles appeared at a College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) national conference, premiered works by Carlos Velez and Arianne Abela, and performed with the Walla Walla Symphony.
Miles Canaday has also worked as Public Relations Assistant at Lamont School of Music in Denver (August 2013-June 2015); Baritone at St. Martin's Chamber Choir in Denver (September 2012-July 2015); Staff Singer at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Denver (September 2012-July 2015). He has continued to sing in professional ensembles, including the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine, Yale Schola Cantorum, Colorado Bach Ensemble, and Voices Chamber Choir (Rochester, New York). He currently lives in Rochester, New York. |