Early Life
He was born in San Diego, California but grew up in Littleton, Colorado; he is a 1991 graduate of Heritage High School. He starred in high school productions as the Rooster in Annie and Noah in Two by Two. Not interested in his father's suggestion that he join the military, David went on to Oberlin Conservatory of Music, 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. 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 the 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.
Miller made his debut in the Flemish opera as Cassio in 2001 and 2002. In addition he performed in Jules Massenet's Manon in Teatro Verdi in Trieste 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 most known work to date is considered to be his role as Rodolfo in Baz Luhrmann’s 2002 version of Puccini’s La Boheme. This show modernized the opera in an effort to lure young audiences to Broadway. 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 Rodolfo's in the Original Broadway cast.
Other roles he has studied have included Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Belmonte in Abduction from the Seraglio and Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress.
Read more about this topic: David Miller (tenor)
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