|
The American choral conductor and music pedagogue, Joe Miller, obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and Voice from University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee (1987); Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) Cincinnati, Ohio (1992); and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting (w/ a cognate in voice) from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio (1997).
From 2006 to 2020, Joe Miller served as conductor of two of America’s most renowned choral ensembles: the Westminster Choir and the Westminster Symphonic Choir. He was also Director of Choral Activities at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. In addition to his responsibilities at Westminster, he has served as Artistic Director of Choral Activities for the renowned Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, since 2007; and Director of the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir since 2016.
His 2019-2020 season with the Westminster Choir included a concert tour of the western USA; a performance of J.S. Bach’s Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 at the Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival 2020; a 100th Anniversary concert at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio, where the Westminster Choir was founded in 1920; concerts and broadcasts at its home in Princeton; and their annual residency at the Spoleto Festival USA. Recent seasons have included concert tours in Beijing, China and Spain, as well as participation in the World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona and groundbreaking performances of Julia Wolfe’s Pulitzer Prize winning Anthracite Fields at the historic Roebling WireWorks as part of Westminster’s Transforming Space project.
After viewing the Westminster Choir's staged performance of Joby Talbot’s demanding choral masterwork Path of Miracles at the 2019 Spoleto Festival USA, D.C. Theatre Scene wrote, “Joe Miller a fearless artist. His bold leadership and trust in these young singers enabled his choristers to forego the ‘stand and deliver,’ score-bound habits of their genre and ‘walk with him’ on this special journey. Not only did the singers need to memorize their parts, no mean feat, but follow his baton’s bid from any part of the auditorium and sing in any body position. Miller constantly challenged them in the process and inspired them to work confidently, well outside their comfort zone.”
The New York Times described their 2014 Festival performance of John Adams’ El Niño as “superb” and wrote, “Meticulously prepared … the chorus was remarkable for its precision, unanimity and power.” The Wall Street Journal praised the same performance, crediting “the fine Westminster Choir and the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, under the direction of Joe Miller.” The Post and Courier wrote about their performance of J.S. Bach’s Matthäus-Passion BWV 244, “This was an evening of near-flawless execution and many moments of ravishing beauty and power. It will go down as a highlight (maybe even THE highlight) of this year’s festival, and, I think, as the work with which Joe Miller established his credentials to lead an extended choral/orchestral masterwork, not just recreating Bach’s music but also putting his own interpretive stamp on the whole.”
Joe Miller has made four recordings with the Westminster Choir. American Record Guide wrote about their newest CD, Frank Martin: Mass for Double Choir, “This is gorgeous singing…with perfect blend, intonation, diction, ensemble and musicality.” The Heart’s Reflection: Music of Daniel Elder, was hailed by Minnesota Public Radio’s Classical Notes as “simply astounding.” His debut recording with the ensemble, "Flower of Beauty", received four stars from Choir & Organ magazine and earned critical praise from American Record Guide, which described the Westminster Choir as “the gold standard for academic choirs in America.”
As conductor of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Joe Miller has collaborated with some of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, earning him critical praise. The New York Times wrote about Westminster Symphonic Choir’s performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Cleveland Orchestra, “Joe Miller’s Westminster Symphonic Choir was subtle when asked and powerful when turned loose.” Recent seasons have included performances with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle; The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin; and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and Gustavo Dudamel.
Reflecting on the role that choral music plays in the nation’s cultural life, Joe Miller said at a Chorus America conference, “Choral music in the United States has seen unprecedented growth in the past several decades. The influence of our past leaders is part of our fabric, but we must seize this time to create a new vision based on the foundation that has been laid before us. We must keep the traditions but be willing to change in order to build a vision for the future.”
In August 2020, Joe Miller left his post at Westminster Choir College to assume a position at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM): Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Studies. |
