David Miller (tenor)

David Miller
Background information
Birth name David Miller
Born April 14, 1973
San Diego, California, United States
Genres Opera
Operatic pop
Classical music
Classical crossover
Bolero
Latin
Occupation(s) Musician, Actor
Instruments Singing, electronic drum
Years active 2000–present
Labels Sony BMG
Associated acts Il Divo

David Miller (born April 14, 1973) is an American tenor and member of the operatic pop musical quartet Il Divo. He sang at Wolf Trap under the name "David Leigh Miller" in 1996.

Early career

Miller was born in San Diego, California but raised in Littleton, Colorado and is a 1991 graduate of Heritage High School.[1] He starred in high school productions as the Rooster in Annie and Noah in Two by Two. Uninterested in his father's suggestion that he join the military, David went on to Oberlin Conservatory of Music,[2] where he graduated in 1995 with excellent grades and degrees in Vocal Performance and Opera Theatre. Miller was a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Center in 1996-7.[3] 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.[4]

Miller made his debut in the Vlaamse Opera as Cassio in 2001 and 2002.[5] In addition he performed in Jules Massenet's Manon in Teatro Verdi in Trieste[6] under the baton of Daniel Oren. In the USA, he sang the title role in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffman 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.[7] This show modernized the opera in an effort to lure young audiences to Broadway.[8] 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, Australia ten years before it debuted on Broadway. David was one of 3 Rodolfos in the original Broadway cast.

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.

Il Divo

Main article: 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 first album, called Il Divo 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 and 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 (world) & November 18, 2008 (US), and shot straight to number 1 in the UK.

Outside of Il Divo

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 favourites. Additionally, Miller performed the duet Time to Say Goodbye along with his then girlfriend (now wife), soprano Joy Kabanuck.

Personal life

Miller is married to soprano Sarah Joy Miller (née Kabanuck), 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]

Discography

Opera

As member of Il Divo

Discography

IL DIVO Discography
Year Album
2004 Il Divo
2005 The Christmas Collection
2005 Ancora
2006 Siempre
2008 The Promise
2011 Wicked Game
2013 A Musical Affair

Compilations

IL DIVO Compilations
Year Album
2005 Il Divo Gift Pack[11]
2006 Il Divo Collezione [12]
2012 Greatest Hits [13]

Collaborations other album

Videography

References

  1. ↑ Il Divo :: View topic - Article, Featuring David
  2. ↑ Il Divo :: View topic - Little interview with David, Vallejo Times Herald, 25.6.06
  3. ↑ http://www.pittsburghopera.org/pages/history-and-alumni
  4. ↑ http://www.laphil.com/press/press-release/index.cfm?id=1138
  5. ↑ http://vlaamseopera.be/en/#!/productions/otello?mode=overlay
  6. ↑ http://www.teatroverdi-trieste.com
  7. ↑ Playbill News: THE LEADING MEN: The Tony Rewards
  8. ↑ http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20139015,00.html
  9. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/fashion/weddings/06VOWS.html
  10. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/nyregion/after-cosmos-bark-a-walk-and-a-duet.html
  11. ↑ "=IL DIVO GIFT PACK". http://www.ildivo.com/. 2005.
  12. ↑ "IL DIVO COLLEZIONE. Incluirá los CDs: Il divo, Ancora y The Christmas Collection, y el DVD Encore". lahiguera.net. 2006-10-23.
  13. ↑ "The Greatest Hits - Deluxe Limited Edition | The Official Il Divo Site". Ildivo.com. Retrieved 2013-05-19.

External links