JOE MILLER
D.M.A.
Westminster Choir College
Rider University
His Joe Miller is conductor of two of America’s most renowned choral ensembles. The Westminster Choir and the Westminster Symphonic Choir. He is also director of choral activities at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. In addition to his responsibilities at Westminster, Dr. Miller is artistic director for choral activities for the renowned Spoleto Festival USA.
His 2015-2016 season with the Westminster Choir includes a concert tour of the Mid Atlantic, a residency with Carnegie Hall, several national radio broadcasts, and their annual residency at the Spoleto Festival USA. Dr. Miller has made three recordings with the Westminster Choir. Their latest CD, The Heart’s Reflection: Music of Daniel Elder, has been hailed by Minnesota Public Radio’s Classical Notes as “simply astounding.” His debut recording with the Westminster Choir, 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, Dr. Miller has collaborated with some of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, earning him critical praise. The New York Times wrote about Symphonic Choir’s performance of 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 Philharmoniker Berliner and Sir Simon Rattle; The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin; and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and Gustavo Dudamel. Dr. Miller has collaborated with some of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, earning him critical praise. Recent seasons have included performances with the Philharmoniker Berliner and Sir Simon Rattle; The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin; and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and Gustavo Dudamel.
Dr. Miller is also founder and conductor of the Westminster Summer Choral Festival Chamber Choir, a program that offers professional-level choral and vocal artists the opportunity to explore challenging works for one week each summer on the Westminster campus in Princeton.
Dr. Miller earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in choral conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and voice from the University of Tennessee.
ERIC JOHNSON
D.M.A.
Cor Cantiamo
Northern Illinois University
Eric Johnson, D.M.A. is the Founding Artistic Director of Cor Cantiamo and Director of Choral Activities at Northern Illinois University. Ensembles under his direction have performed at multiple national and divisional conventions (National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conventions San Antonio 2006 and Fort Collins 2011, Music Educators National Conference Milwaukee 2008, ACDA Central Division 2012 and 2014) and numerous state conventions, Avery Fisher Hall Lincoln Center (2013, 2009), toured internationally. Johnson has served as a guest conductor of the Clare College Chapel Choir, Cambridge, England, taught at Makumira University, Tanzania, the Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande no Norte, Brazil, and directed guest choral residencies at Canterbury and Worcester Cathedrals. Dr. Johnson has published music with Santa Barbara Music Publishing, served as a music editor for Earthsongs Publications, and has published articles in the Choral Journal. He is active nationally as a clinician, having presented sessions on developing audiation skills, Israeli Choral Music, Tanzanian Choral Music, Baroque performance practices. He also leads master classes in conducting and he is also active conducting high school and collegiate honor choirs. Most recently he conducted the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association Collegiate Honor Choir and the Wisconsin School of Music Association.
Women’s All-State Choir. Dr. Johnson has collaborated with many leading composers of our time including Morten Lauridsen, Libby Larsen, and he has commissioned new works from Sir John Tavener, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, and Stacey Gibbs. He is currently collaborating with British composer James Whitbourn on a commission project to be premiered in Spring 2016.
Cor Cantiamo
Women’s All-State Cor Cantiamo (www.corcantiamo.org) was founded with the mission to perform and promote contemporary choral music and foster new composers for the art form. It is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since its inception in the Spring of 2009, the choir has emerged as an energetic and accomplished vocal ensemble, receiving accolades for its performances. Morten Lauridsen has praised the ensemble for presenting “choral artistry at its finest.” The ensemble maintains an active concert season, presenting 5-7 concerts per year. Cor Cantiamo recently performed at the American Choral Directors Association Central Division Convention 2014 in Cincinnati, OH to great critical acclaim and subsequently has been invited to appear as the featured professional choir for the 2015 Michigan Choral Directors Association Conference. In partnership with Soli Deo Gloria, Inc., Cor Cantiamo has presented multiple World and US Premiers.
