Conductor Chat: David Alan Miller

Conductor Chat: David Alan Miller

David Alan Miller conducts the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic in the recording of John Corigliano's Symphony No. 1

Photo by Geoff Sheill

What about NOI+F inspires you to return year after year?

Well … everything! The musicians are incredibly vibrant. They are young. They are fresh. They are extremely idealistic about making music at its highest level. These musicians experience a number of fresh revelations at NOI+F. For me, it’s a privilege to have these first experiences with them.

What are you looking forward to in your 2019 residency?

Working with Joan Tower. She’s smart, talented and fabulous. I’m also excited about Gershwin’s Concerto in F. Gershwin long ago entered the pantheon of great composers, but he is wildly misunderstood and often musically misinterpreted. Many ignore his original artistic markings, but what’s exciting about NOI+F’s concert is that we’re making a return to a scholarly edition that restores Gershwin’s original intention. And the greatest Gershwin pianist walking the earth is joining us! Gershwin, Kevin Cole and NOI+F are simply a dream come true!

You are a champion of recording music by American composers. Why is it important to continue this tradition of recording the country’s repertoire?

Working with Albany Symphony, my home orchestra, we came together to make a commitment to recording music that is rarely or sometimes never recorded. In that golden era of orchestral recordings, ensembles produced many, many repeat recordings of traditional repertoire. So, throughout my work, I advocate for these rarely recorded American works instead. What elevates this promise even higher at NOI+F is the partnership with Naxos Records. Naxos’ global reach allows many around the world access to these sometimes little known American composers.

Having been the conductor on two Naxos recordings and working with the orchestra for many years, you are an esteemed NOI+F veteran! Tell us, what is your favorite NOI+F memory?

Well, thank you! The experience that most touched me at NOI+F was recording John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1, the first recording I made with the orchestra. There’s a cello duet movement in which the two players shine through on their own. I got the opportunity to coach the piece with Robert deMaine, principal cellist at Los Angeles Philharmonic. We worked with these two brilliant young cellists, Victor Minkle Huls and Ellen Gira, for almost three hours! Together, we dug deeply into the solos — it was very moving. The performance was dazzling! Not only did the musicians know their music, they had inhabited the score. This kind of collaborative approach just doesn’t happen in a professional orchestra. To me, this experience opened a new window of exploration and was a testament of what makes NOI+F so unique.