Conductor's Bio
David Alan Miller, conductor
David Alan Miller has established a reputation as one of the leading American conductors of his generation. Frequently in demand as a guest conductor, he has worked with most of America’s major orchestras, developing especially close relationships with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony. He has also conducted the orchestras of Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Baltimore, Houston and Indianapolis, as well as the New World Symphony and the New York City Ballet.
As Music Director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1992, Mr. Miller has proven himself a creative and compelling orchestra builder. Through exploration of unusual repertoire, educational programming, community outreach and recording initiatives, he has reaffirmed the Albany Symphony’s reputation as the nation’s leading champion of American symphonic music and one of its most innovative orchestras. Recent honors include Columbia University’s 2003 Ditson Conductor’s Award, the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to American music. Additionally, Mr. Miller has received the 2001 ASCAP Morton Gould Award for Innovative Programming and, in 1999, ASCAP’s first-ever Leonard Bernstein Award for Outstanding Educational Programming.
During the 2003-04 season, Mr. Miller returns to guest conduct the Baltimore Symphony in the orchestra’s well-known “Symphony With a Twist” series. He also appears with the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Edmonton Symphony, and he returns for his fifth season to lead the Minnesota orchestra in its three-concert Casual Classics series. During the 2002-03 season, Mr. Miller appeared as guest conductor with the Indianapolis, Knoxville and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras. His schedule during the summer of 2003 includes appearances with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival, and with the Portugese Symphony Orchestra at the Estoril Music Festival in Portugal.
Internationally, Mr. Miller made his debut with the RAI Orchestra in Turin, Italy, in the 1999-2000 season. He has also conducted major European orchestras in Berlin, Barcelona, Prague, Dresden, Hanover, Halle and Mainz. He has appeared with the Adelaide Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Singapore Symphony; led the Australian Youth Orchestra on its European tour; and conducted the Asian Youth Orchestra on a major tour of the Far East that included concerts in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. He has also conducted the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.
Mr. Miller is highly regarded as a champion and interpreter of American music, new and old. His extensive discography includes recordings of the works of Todd Levin with the London Symphony Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon, as well as music by Michael Daugherty, Kamran Ince, and Michael Torke for London/Decca. His recordings with the Albany Symphony include discs of music by John Harbison, Roy Harris, Morton Gould, Don Gillis, George Lloyd and Peter Mennin, all on the Albany Records label. He also led the Los Angeles Philharmonic in its recording of Mel Powell’s music, including “Duplicates: Concerto for Two Pianos,” winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Prior to his appointment in Albany, Mr. Miller was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. During his five-year tenure there, he conducted subscription concerts, special programs at the Hollywood Bowl, and Symphonies for Youth concerts, and he led the orchestra in premieres of numerous works. From 1982 to 1988, he was Music Director of the New York Youth Symphony, earning considerable acclaim for his work with that ensemble. A native of Los Angeles, David Alan Miller holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from The Juilliard School. Mr. Miller lives with his wife and three children in Slingerlands, New York.