Richard Miller (singer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Miller was a professor of singing at Oberlin College
Conservatory of Music and the author of numerous books on singing technique and vocal pedagogy
.
He sang recitals, oratorios, and numerous roles as a lyric tenor with major opera companies in Europe
and America
.
After receiving his M.Mus. degree in Musicology from the University of Michigan, he was awarded a Fulbright Grant to study voice in Rome, Italy, at L’Accademia di Santa Cecilia. He later sang for four years as leading lyric tenor at the opera house in Zürich, Switzerland.
He returned to the U.S. in 1957, and taught singing at the University of Michigan for five years, then at Oberlin Conservatory for over 40 years. During those years, until age 60, he sang hundreds of performances of oratorio and opera, including appearances with the San Francisco and San Antonio Operas. He sang often with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell, Pierre Boulez, and Louis Lane, including the summer promenade concerts and all five of the Cleveland Orchestra’s Lake Erie Opera seasons at Severance Hall.
He authored eight books and hundreds of articles on the subject of singing.
He founded Oberlin Conservatory's Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center, an acoustic laboratory that measures vocal production and provides visual and auditory feedback to the singer. The vocal arts center at Oberlin was the first of its kind to be based within a music school. One of his notable students was bass-baritone Donald Bell
.
Miller taught for 28 years at the Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg
, Austria. He presented lectures and classes at the Paris Conservatoire Superieure, at the Marseilles National Opera School, and at Centre Polyphonique.
In November 2005, he retired from the Oberlin Conservatory, where he had taught for more than forty years. After retirement, he continued to teach some masterclasses. Internationally renowned for these masterclasses, he taught in Austria, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and 38 US states.
In May 1990, he was decorated Chevalier/Officier into the French Order of Arts and Letters at the hand of Madame Régine Crespin
"in recognition of contributions to the art of vocalism in France and throughout the world". In 2006 Miller received the Voice Education Research Awareness Award from The Voice Foundation for his contributions to the field of voice communication.
His books include:
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
Conservatory of Music and the author of numerous books on singing technique and vocal pedagogy
Vocal pedagogy
Vocal pedagogy is the study of the art and science of voice instruction. It is used in the teaching of singing and assists in defining what singing is, how singing works, and how proper singing technique is accomplished....
.
He sang recitals, oratorios, and numerous roles as a lyric tenor with major opera companies in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life and career
Richard Miller was born April 9, 1926, in Canton, Ohio. He began singing publicly at age three. Before his voice changed, at age 11, he sang hundreds of times in the Canton, Ohio, area. Advised not to sing during the voice-change period, he studied piano, cello, and organ, but returned to singing in musicals at Lincoln High School in Canton. He was drafted upon graduation from high school in 1944, assigned to the 7th Armored Division tank corps and sent to the European theater in January 1945, attached to the British First Army. Stationed near Marseilles after the war, he took voice lessons at the Marseilles Conservatory.After receiving his M.Mus. degree in Musicology from the University of Michigan, he was awarded a Fulbright Grant to study voice in Rome, Italy, at L’Accademia di Santa Cecilia. He later sang for four years as leading lyric tenor at the opera house in Zürich, Switzerland.
He returned to the U.S. in 1957, and taught singing at the University of Michigan for five years, then at Oberlin Conservatory for over 40 years. During those years, until age 60, he sang hundreds of performances of oratorio and opera, including appearances with the San Francisco and San Antonio Operas. He sang often with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell, Pierre Boulez, and Louis Lane, including the summer promenade concerts and all five of the Cleveland Orchestra’s Lake Erie Opera seasons at Severance Hall.
Vocal Pedagogy Pioneer
He became internationally known for his abilities as a teacher of singing; for many years he gave teaching sessions all over North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.He authored eight books and hundreds of articles on the subject of singing.
He founded Oberlin Conservatory's Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center, an acoustic laboratory that measures vocal production and provides visual and auditory feedback to the singer. The vocal arts center at Oberlin was the first of its kind to be based within a music school. One of his notable students was bass-baritone Donald Bell
Donald Bell
Donald Bell is a Canadian bass-baritone and vocal pedagogue. For over four decades he actively performed in concerts and operas internationally. He retired from performance in 1994. As a vocal pedagogue he has researched and published studies on vocal acoustics and laryngeal function...
.
Overview of Work as Teacher and Voice Scientist
- Wheeler Professor of Performance at Oberlin Conservatory, 42 years.
- Founder/Director of the Vocal Arts Center (OBSVAC) at Oberlin Conservatory
- Collegium Medicorum Theatri member
- American Academy of Teachers of Singing
- Otolaryngology Adjunct Staff, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Miller taught for 28 years at the Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria. He presented lectures and classes at the Paris Conservatoire Superieure, at the Marseilles National Opera School, and at Centre Polyphonique.
In November 2005, he retired from the Oberlin Conservatory, where he had taught for more than forty years. After retirement, he continued to teach some masterclasses. Internationally renowned for these masterclasses, he taught in Austria, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and 38 US states.
Awards
In 1989 he received an honorary doctorate from Gustavus Adolphus College.In May 1990, he was decorated Chevalier/Officier into the French Order of Arts and Letters at the hand of Madame Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin was a French singer who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto soprano repertoire, drawing particular acclaim singing Wagner and Strauss heroines...
"in recognition of contributions to the art of vocalism in France and throughout the world". In 2006 Miller received the Voice Education Research Awareness Award from The Voice Foundation for his contributions to the field of voice communication.
Writings
He has written articles for over 120 professional journals. He also edited several musical anthologies and collections.His books include:
- National Schools of Singing (Scarecrow, 1977, reissued 1997)
- The Structure of Singing (Schirmer Books/Macmillan, 1986)
- Training Tenor Voices (Schirmer Books/Macmillan, 1993)
- On the Art of Singing (Oxford University Press, 1996)
- Singing Schumann: An Interpretive Guide for Performers (Oxford University Press, 1999)
- Training Soprano Voices (Oxford University Press, 2000)
- Solutions for Singers: Tools for Performers and Teachers (Oxford University Press, 2004)
- Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices (Oxford University Press, 2008)