David Miller (tenor)

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David Miller
DAVID MILLER - 2015.jpg
Miller in 2012
Background information
Birth nameDavid Miller
Born (1973-04-14) April 14, 1973 (age 50)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Genres Classical crossover, opera, romantic
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active2000–present
Labels Syco, Sony BMG, Columbia
Miller's signature FirmaDavidIlDivo.png
Miller's signature

David Miller (born April 14, 1973) is an American tenor. Since 2004, he has been a member of the successful classical crossover group Il Divo, who have sold over 30 million copies worldwide. [1] As well, Miller shared a Tony Award with the other members of the ensemble cast of Baz Luhrmann's 2002 revival of La bohème in 2003. [2]

Contents

Background and personal life

Miller was born in San Diego, California, but raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. As a student at Heritage High School in Littleton, [3] [4] he starred in high school productions as the Rooster in Annie and Noah in Two by Two. He was also a member of the Colorado Children's Chorale but only took music seriously in high school after being asked to audition for Annie due to the lack of male cast members with the ability to sing. [5] Uninterested in his father's suggestion that he join the military, he went on to Oberlin Conservatory of Music, [6] where he studied with Richard Miller, [7] and graduated in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance and a master's degree in Opera Theatre. [8]

Miller has been married to soprano Sarah Joy Miller, a member of the Three Graces, since 2009. [9] They live in New York's financial district with their dog, Cosmo, a Maltese-Havanese mix. [10]

Musical career

Opera

Miller was a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Center in 1996–1997. [11] He first came to attention after his highly acclaimed Washington Opera debut in March 1997 as Alfredo in Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata .

On May 6, 1998, he performed, along with other opera singers, for President Bill Clinton in the White House.

In 1999, he appeared with the Los Angeles Opera in the role of Tybalt in Thor Steingraber's production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Vincenzo Bellini. He reprised this role at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago de Chile, and at the Savonlinna Festival in Finland.

In 2000, he made his debut with Opera Australia and at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, singing Tony in West Side Story . In 2003, he sang with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Audra McDonald at the Hollywood Bowl in excerpts from West Side Story . [12]

Miller made his debut in the Vlaamse Opera as Cassio in 2001 and 2002. [13] In addition he performed in Jules Massenet's Manon in Teatro Verdi in Trieste [14] under the baton of Daniel Oren. In the US, he sang the title role in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann at the now-defunct Connecticut Opera in Hartford, Connecticut. He also interpreted the role of Percy in Donizetti's Anne Boleyn at Pittsburgh Opera with John Mauceri during 2000/2001. During the 2002/2003 season he performed in the world premiere of the opera Vita by Marco Tutino at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He has worked with American opera companies in several roles, including Des Grieux in Manon, Romeo in Romeo et Juliette, Werther, Alfredo in La Traviata and Tamino in The Magic Flute with Opera Pacific.

His best known work to date is considered to be his role as Rodolfo in Baz Luhrmann's 2002 version of Puccini's La Boheme . [15] This show modernized the opera in an effort to lure young audiences to Broadway. [16] Luhrmann staged a Broadway show as he did with Moulin Rouge! and his Romeo et Juliette. Luhrmann's version of La bohème premiered in Sydney ten years before it debuted on Broadway. David was one of 3 Rodolfos in the original Broadway cast and shared Tony Award with the other members of the ensemble cast of Baz Luhrmann's 2002 revival of La bohème in 2003. [2]

Outside of Il Divo he has also taken roles such as Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni , Belmonte in Abduction from the Seraglio and Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress .

In December 2007, while Il Divo was taking a break from their world tour, David made a return to the classical opera stage. He performed in recital with the Chicago Pops Orchestra, singing a variety of tenor arias as well as some show tunes and Christmas favorites.

Miller in 2014 David Divo.jpg
Miller in 2014

Il Divo

In December 2003, he became a member of the international musical quartet Il Divo along with Swiss operatic tenor Urs Bühler, French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, and Spanish baritone Carlos Marín. Their eponymous first album became a worldwide multiplatinum-selling record when released in November 2004, entering Billboard at number four and selling five million copies worldwide in less than a year, knocking Robbie Williams from the number one spot in the charts. Their second album, Ancora , was released on November 7, 2005, in the United Kingdom. Il Divo's third album, Siempre , was released on November 21, 2006, in the United States and on November 27, 2006, internationally. Their next album, The Promise , was released on November 10, 2008 (internationally) and on November 17, 2008 (in Canada & the US), and shot straight to number 1 in the UK.

Discography

Opera

  1. Baz Luhrmann's La Bohème – Highlights from the 2002 Original Broadway Cast

Il Divo

  1. 2004 – Il Divo
  2. 2005 – Ancora
  3. 2006 – Siempre
  4. 2008 – The Promise
  5. 2011 – Wicked Game
  6. 2013 – A Musical Affair
  7. 2015 – Amor & Pasión
  8. 2018 – Timeless
  1. 2005 – The Christmas Collection
  1. 2012 – The Greatest Hits
  1. 2009 – An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona
  2. 2014 – Live in Japan
  1. 2005 – Il Divo. Gift Edition [17]
  2. 2006 – Il Divo Collezione [18]
  3. 2006 – Christmas Collection. The Yule Log [19]
  4. 2008 – The Promise. Luxury Edition [20]
  5. 2011 – Wicked Game. Gift Edition [21]
  6. 2011 – Wicked Game. Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set [22]
  7. 2012 – The Greatest Hits. Gift Edition [23]
  8. 2012 – The Greatest Hits. Deluxe Limited Edition [24]
  9. 2014 – A Musical Affair. Exclusive Gift Edition [25]
  10. 2014 – A Musical Affair. French Versión [26]
  11. 2014 – Live in Japan. Japan Versión [27]

Videography

Il Divo

  1. 2004 – Live at Gotham Hall
  2. 2005 – Encore
  3. 2005 – Mamá [28]
  4. 2006 – The Yule Log: The Christmas Collection [19]
  5. 2006 – Live at the Greek Theater
  6. 2008 – At the Coliseum
  7. 2009 – An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona
  8. 2011 – Live in London
  9. 2014 – Live in Japan

Related Research Articles

<i>La bohème</i> 1895 opera by Giacomo Puccini

La bohème is an opera in four acts, composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème (1851) by Henri Murger. The story is set in Paris around 1830 and shows the Bohemian lifestyle of a poor seamstress and her artist friends.

<i>Moulin Rouge!</i> 2001 film by Baz Luhrmann

Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows an English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan, Satine. The film uses the musical setting of the Montmartre Quarter of Paris and is the final part of Luhrmann's "Red Curtain Trilogy", following Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Romeo + Juliet (1996). A co-production of Australia and the United States, it features an ensemble cast starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, with Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, John Leguizamo, Jacek Koman, and Caroline O'Connor in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baz Luhrmann</span> Australian filmmaker (born 1962)

Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music, and recording industries, he is regarded by some as a contemporary example of an auteur for his style and deep involvement in the writing, directing, design, and musical components of all his work. He is the most commercially successful Australian director, with four of his films in the top ten highest worldwide grossing Australian films of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Il Divo</span> Multinational vocal group

Il Divo are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, baritone Steven LaBrie and Sébastien Izambard. It also included baritone Carlos Marín before his death from COVID-19 in December 2021, being officially replaced by LaBrie in August 2023. Il Divo was created and promoted by Simon Cowell for the label Syco Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sébastien Izambard</span> French singer, member of Il Divo (born 1973)

Sébastien Izambard is a French singer, composer and record producer. His vocal range is classified as popular melody or vox populi to a loud, so it has a tenor tessitura phonic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Marín</span> Spanish singer (1968–2021)

Carlos Marín Menchero was a Spanish baritone and a member of the classical crossover group Il Divo, which has sold over 28 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urs Bühler</span> Swiss singer

Urs Toni Bühler is a Swiss classically trained tenor. He is a member of the classical crossover group Il Divo, who have sold over 30 million copies worldwide discs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come What May (2001 song)</span> 2001 single by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor

"Come What May" is a song composed by David Baerwald and Kevin Gilbert, originally intended for the film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. However, it was first heard publicly, and is best known as the romantic love theme from Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, where it is sung by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman in their respective roles as Christian and Satine.

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The discography of multinational classical crossover vocal group Il Divo, contains ten studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, singles and duets and collaborations.

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<i>Wicked Game</i> (Il Divo album) 2011 studio album by Il Divo

Wicked Game is the sixth studio album by the classical crossover group Il Divo. The album was released on 4 November 2011. Il Divo performed "Wicked Game", their reworking of the Chris Isaak song, on TV in the UK on 5 September on Red or Black? and in the United States on 7 September on the semi-final of America's Got Talent.

<i>An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona</i>

An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona is the first live album by classical crossover vocal group Il Divo. It was recorded at the Palau Sant Jordi concert An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona. on 3 April 2009 and the album was released 1 December the same year. It was made available in both Blu-ray and DVDs + CD format.

<i>Live in Japan</i> (Il Divo album)

Live in Japan, also known as A Musical Affair: Live in Japan, is the second live album by crossover classical group Il Divo, released on 12 November 2014 in Japan and 1 December 2014 in the rest of the world. The release shows the concert in Tokyo on 11 March 2014, in the Theatre Nippon Budokan. It follows their first live album An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona, released in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Il Divo videography</span>

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<i>Live in London</i> (Il Divo) 2011 video by Il Divo

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<i>The Greatest Hits</i> (Il Divo album) 2012 greatest hits album by Il Divo

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References

  1. "Il Divo crowned Silver Clef winners". March 23, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "David Miller – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  3. Il Divo :: View topic – Article, Featuring David Archived January 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Il Divo quartet brings its pop side to Bellco Theatre". The Denver Post . April 10, 2014.
  5. "Life on a high note". Highlands Ranch Herald. August 1, 2012.
  6. "Il Divo :: View topic – Little interview with David, Vallejo Times Herald, 25.6.06".[ permanent dead link ]
  7. "Oberlin Conservatory Magazine :: 2009-10". www2.oberlin.edu. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  8. Landrum, Charlotte (October 2009). "Alumni Notes: A Passion for Singing: David Miller and Il Divo" . Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  9. "Sarah Kabanuck and David Miller". The New York Times . September 6, 2009.
  10. "After Cosmo's Bark, a Walk and a Duet". The New York Times. September 15, 2013.
  11. "Pittsburgh Opera: Mission and History – Pittsburgh Opera".
  12. "Press Overview".[ permanent dead link ]
  13. "Opera Vlaanderen Ballet Vlaanderen". Opera Vlaanderen Ballet Vlaanderen.
  14. "Teatro Verdi Trieste".
  15. "Playbill News: THE LEADING MEN: The Tony Rewards". Archived from the original on March 28, 2007.
  16. "All That Baz".
  17. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Il Divo pública 'Il Divo. Gift Edition'". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  18. lahiguera.net, ed. (October 23, 2006). "Se pública 'Il Divo Collezione'. Incluirá los CDs: Il Divo, Ancora y The Christmas Collection, y el DVD Encore".
  19. 1 2 www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Il Divo pública 'Christmas Collection. The Yule Log'". Archived from the original on December 7, 2014.
  20. "Il Divo pública 'The Promise. Luxury Edition'".
  21. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Il Divo pública 'Wicked Game. Gift Edition'". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  22. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Il Divo pública 'Wicked Game. Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set'". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  23. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Il Divo pública 'The Greatest Hits. Gift Edition'". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  24. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Il Divo pública 'The Greatest Hits. Deluxe Limited Edition'". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  25. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Il Divo pública 'A Musical Affair. Exclusive Gift Edition and Calendar 2014'". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  26. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Il Divo pública 'A Musical Affair. French Versión'". Archived from the original on August 4, 2015.
  27. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Un año después del lanzamiento de su exito álbum inspirado en musicales clásicos, Il Divo vuelve a la carga con una edición muy especial de 'A Musical Affair". Archived from the original on September 10, 2015.
  28. www.ildivo.com (ed.). "Videoclip de Mamá, de Il Divo". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.