Elma Miller

Elma Miller (born August 6, 1954) is a Canadian musician, composer, writer and educator.

Biography

Education

Miller was born in 1954 in Toronto, Ontario. In 1977, she received a BMus and MMus from the University of Toronto. During that time, she studied composition under Walter Buczynski, John Beckwith, Lothar Klein, John Weinzweig and Bogusław Schaeffer. Miller studied piano with Elaine Keillor from 1975-1978, and electronic/computer music with Gustav Ciamaga, Bill Buxton, John Chowning and Leland Smith. She also studied aesthetics with Geoffrey Payzant and media with Marshall McLuhan.[1][2][3]

Compositions

In 1979, Miller moved to Hamilton. There, she composes chamber music, music for full orchestra, electronic music and vocal music. From 1976 to 1978, she taught clarinet, theory, counterpoint, orchestration, and 20th century analysis at Toronto University, as well as working as a lecturer and library technician at the university. She was artistic director for the contemporary chamber music series "Music Here & Now". Miller is of Estonian descent, and she has incorporated musical and thematic elements from that heritage into her work. Miller has also found inspiration from astronomy, archaeology, Buddhist meditation and ecology. She has composed works for various musical groups including the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and the pianist Elaine Keillor. Her works have been performed in Canada and internationally.[1][3]

Below is a non-comprehensive list of Miller's compositions.[4]

TitleDateInstrumentation
Margarita1979-1980Chamber Ensemble
Kriss Kringle's wolka paltz1977Flute, viola, trombone, and percussion
Things are not what they appear19814 french horns
Le phenix1980Trombone and marimba
The dachshund1975Voice and piano
Farce1979Concrete tape
Pink champagne1976Electric tape
Vinderdi vaenderdi1975Clarinet and french horn
Chick19773 percussion
Jabberwocky1980Baritone, piano


Awards

In 1980, Miller won the Swedish Els Kaljot-Vaarman prize for chamber music. In 1981, she won the Sir Ernest MacMillan Award (bronze) by the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada for her orchestral composition Genesis. In 1997, she received honourable mention in the R. Murray Schafer International competition for Music and Play for her composition Butterfly Garden.[3] She also won an Estonian cultural committee in Canada award, as well as an Estonian orchestral award in 1975.

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References
  1. "Elma Miller". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  2. "Elma Miller". Femmes compositrices (in French). La Médiathèque.
  3. "Elma Miller". Canadian Music Centre.
  4. I., Cohen, Aaron (1987). International encyclopedia of women composers (2nd edition, revised and enlarged ed.). New York: Books & Music (USA), Inc. ISBN 0961748524. OCLC 16714846.
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