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MILLER, Michael Richard. Composer, pianist, retired professor of music; born in Lisbon, Portugal, 24 July, 1932. BA degree New York University 1955; MA degree 1956, PhD 1971, Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, NY. Studied composition and orchestration with Bernard Rogers and Wayne Barlow.
Miller taught at New York University 1961-65, and Vassar College, NY, 1965-66. He emigrated to Canada in 1967, teaching piano, composition and theory at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB, and performing with the Mount Allison Trio until 1974. In 1972 he became a Canadian citizen. He retired in July 1998, taught composition part-time until 1999, and was awarded Professor Emeritus in May1999, by Mount Allison. Since 1999 he has been living in Fredericton, NB.
He has composed for voice, choir, piano, organ, guitar, orchestra, band, and various chamber ensembles. He has also written two operas. His style employs such 20th-century techniques as pandiatonicism, polytonality, modal scales, cross rhythm, serialism and aleatory. His works usually retain identifiable metres and tonal centres. In fact, his music is characterized by quite traditional features like melodies, themes, motives, clear forms, contrast in mood and tempo, and the use of counterpoint.
He has an associate membership in CMC (Canadian Music Centre), SOCAN (Canadian performing rights), and ACCA (Atlantic Canadian Composers Ass’n). He has served on the Board of Symphony New Brunswick.
Miller is married to Edith Hoisington Miller. Their 3 sons have also become professional musicians. Andrew, a classical contrabassist, avant-garde composer, and founder of MOTION New Music Ensemble, is married to Dr. Jane Touchie, with whom he has 2 girls and a boy. Nathaniel (Nate), a composer-singer in the rock tradition, composes and produces recordings in the techno-ambient music genre. Joel, a tenor-sax jazz player and composer, is married to Christine Jensen, also a jazz saxist-composer. Joel’s music and band won, among other awards, the DuMaurier Grand Jazz Prize at the 1997 Montreal International Jazz Festival, and he has produced 6 CDs, including one with his brother Nate and 2 with his band, Mandala. Joel was an ECMA nominee in 2002. Edith describes herself as a professional writer, volunteer editor, and amateur musician-dancer-artist. She is also on the Fredericton Committee of Symphony New Brunswick. She and Michael share an interest in hiking, bird-watching, and grandparenting.
In 1975 Michael and Edith became Quakers. They attend the New Brunswick Friends Meeting (Quakers) and other regional and national groups. A belief in non-violence led Michael to become active as a volunteer in the Alternative Measures Program for adult “offenders,” in Moncton and then Fredericton; and in becoming a facilitator of workshops of the Alternatives to Violence Project in communities, schools, and prisons. He is also on the board of the John Howard Society. The couple have done prison visiting, mostly of the Native Brotherhood, and have been involved in Aboriginal Rights Coalition.
(Can. Music Centre)
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