Richard Miller Papers, 1964-2009, n.d.
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Administrative/Biographical History
Richard John Miller was born on April 9, 1926 in Canton, Ohio, the youngest of Clarence and Alice Miller’s five children. Miller was drafted into the US Army in 1944, during which time he was given the opportunity to take voice lesions at Marseilles Conservatory with noted operatic baritone Edouard Tyrand in1945. Following his time in the service, Miller earned Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from the University of Michigan, 1951. The following year Miller received a Fulbright grant to study voice in Italy, at the famed L’Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome earning a Diploma di Canto. After his Fulbright, Miller spent four years (1952-1956) as a leading tenor at the opera house in Zurich, Switzerland. He taught singing at the University of Michigan from 1957 to 1962. Miller was also employed by the Cleveland Clinic, Baldwin Wallace College, Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria, and Oberlin College. Miller began at Oberlin in September of 1962 as an Associate Professor of Singing, and retired 42 years later in 2006, as Emeritus Wheeler Professor of Singing.
In 1989 Miller founded Oberlin’s Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center, an acoustic laboratory that measures vocal production and provides visual and auditory feedback to a singer. This center was the first of its kind to be based inside a music school. Miller made many significant contributions to the field of music and is internationally recognized as an authority in vocal pedagogy, having undertaken voice research and presented Masters courses in 13 European countries and New Zealand, as well as master classes in 37 states. Miller had an innovative approach to teaching that has since shaped the curricula of private teachers and conservatories throughout the world. He authored eight books on the subject of singing, and over 120 articles for professional journals on voice pedagogy, research and performance artistry. Miller edited two song collections for the International Music Company, and was the editor of the NATS Bulletin, what is now the Journal of Singing.
Miller was recognized many times for his contributions in music. In 2006 he was sponsored by the Voice Foundation of America, and received the foundation’s Voice Education Research and Awareness Award. In 2003 Miller was named Teacher of the Year by the New York Singing Teacher’s Association. In 1989 he received an honorary doctorate from Gustavus Adolphus College. In 1985 Miller was elected to membership in Collegium Medicorum Theatri, an international society made up of leading persons who deal with the care of the professional voice.
Richard Miller married Mary Miller, formally Mary Norman Dagger on June 17, 1950. They had five children together; Alice, Mark, Letitia, Anton and Nathaniel. Miller was a member of Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Kappa Phi. His hobbies included oil painting and philately.
Richard Miller died on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at the age of 83, in Oberlin, Ohio.
Sources Consulted
Faculty file for Richard Miller (RG 28/3).
Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
The papers of Richard Miller consist of five series covering the period 1964 to 2009 primarily documenting the singing career of Miller and his affiliation as an Oberlin College employee for forty years. This collection includes personal drafts of Richard Miller’s writings, as well as a look into his scientific understanding of vocal pedagogy.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1. Biographical File (General), 1964-65, 1978, 1980, 1987, 2007, 2009, n.d. (1 folder)
The Biographical File contains biographical statements and faculty survey forms from Oberlin College, as well as Oberlin College news releases about Richard Miller. Also included is a pamphlet about Richard Miller created by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Series 2. Clippings and Releases 1964-71, 1973-83, 1986, 1991, 1994-97, 2001 (1 folder)
Consists primarily of newspaper coverage of events surrounding Miller. Much of the content in the folder publicizes and reviews singing performances by Miller and his students. There is a small clipping from the New York Times, a review from the Fine Arts Magazine as well as many press releases from the Oberlin College News and others.
Series 3. Correspondence, 1980, 1985-86 (1 folder)
The correspondence series represents a small portion of the commitments Richard Miller adhered to both at Oberlin and abroad. In this file there is an Oberlin Faculty Activity Form, and two letters from Miller to John D. Harvith, Director of News Services at Oberlin in 1985. In addition, there is a letter to Marion Schroder on NATS Bulletin letterhead.
Series 4. Vocal Pedagogy, 1970-71, 1985-87, 1995-96, n.d. (1 folder)
Consists primarily of printed news releases that surround the topic of Richard Miller’s advancement in vocal pedagogy. There are also articles not specific to Miller, but to vocal pedagogy in general. This series also contains a Request for Research Status Appointment from Miller in 1970, a proposal for a vocal arts laboratory at Oberlin, as well as as correspondences from Miller to the Cleveland Clinic on the topic of vocal pedagogy.
Series 5. Writings, 1991, 1993-95, 1997-98, 2000-01, n.d. (2 folders)
This series contains the following two subseries:
Subseries 1. Drafts of works, n.d. (1 folder)
Contains several typed draft pages of works by Richard Miller, including a copy of John Harvith’s edits to Miller’s work.
Subseries 2. Reviews of Articles and Books, 1991, 1993-95, 1997-98, 2000-01, n.d. (1 folder)
This subseries is a collection of reviews given by Richard Miller. Subseries 2 also includes a completed questionnaire by Miller pertaining to one of his own books.
INVENTORY
Box 1
Series 1. Biographical Materials, 1964-65, 1978, 1980,1987, 2007, 2009, n.d.
Series 2. Clippings & Releases, 1964-71, 1973-83, 1986, 1991, 1994-97, 2001
Series 3. Correspondence, 1980, 1985-86
Series 4. Vocal Pedagogy, 1970-71, 1985-87,1995-96, n.d.
Series 5. Writings, 1991, 1993-95, 1997-98, 2000-01, n.d.
Subseries 1. Drafts of Works, n.d.
Subseries 2. Reviews of Articles and Books, 1991, 1993-95, 1997-98,
2000-01, n.d.