ITEA Journal Volume 49 Number 2 (Winter 2022)
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In Memoriam:
Dennis Miller (1944-2021)
Born and raised Vancouver, Dennis Miller was the Principal Tubist of the Vancouver Symphony and the Houston Symphony before joining l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal in 1989. He remained in this position until he retired in August 2012. He was a founding member of the Vancouver Brass Quintet, and over the course of his musical career he performed in solo recitals and with ensembles across the country.
As well, Mr. Miller performed or recorded with the C.B.C. Radio Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Orchestra, the Stratford Festival Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony.
He gave solo recitals and performed concertos with orchestras and bands in both Canada and the United States, including solo appearances at the International Tuba-Euphonium Conferences (ITEC) in Los Angeles (1978), Chicago (1995) and Regina (2000), and he performed the Canadian premiere of the John Williams Tuba Concerto with the Montreal Symphony. He has had several pieces written for him and gave premiere performances of works by such composers as Harry Freedman, Ian McDougall, Alec Wilder, and Howard Bashaw.
In addition to his performing commitments, Mr. Miller was Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University where he taught tuba and brass techniques and conducted the McGill University Brass Choir. He was on the music faculties of the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia, Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, the Banff School of the Arts, as well as various regional colleges and summer music festivals.
Following his passing, several of Dennis Miller's former colleagues and students contributed memories of his remarkable career as a performer, teacher, mentor, and friend.
Vancouver Brass Quintet c. 1975. Left to Right: Dennis Miller, Jerold
Gerbrecht, Gordon Cherry, Martin Hackleman, and Ray Kirkham
Gordon Cherry
Former Principal Trombone
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Dennis Miller is one of a handful of musicians I have had the honor of working with and being friends with over the decades who was truly a great artist. He was a "Triple Threat" as they say in football…. he excelled in the orchestra, as a soloist, and as a teacher. Dennis was world class in all and left a huge mark whenever and wherever he performed. Dennis, just 16, was one of the youngest members of the Vancouver Symphony ever when he first joined as Principal Tuba and probably the youngest of any major orchestra in North America. My first experience hearing Dennis was while in high school in the 1960's and attending the Canadian Opera Company's production of Stravinsky's Mavra in Toronto (my hometown). The sound coming out of the pit was so present and unique and beautiful. We spoke afterwards and began our lifelong friendship. The next time I heard him was a couple years later, when Dennis was performing with the band at Canada's Expo 67. A few years later in 1970, I was performing at the Stratford Festival for chamber music and Dennis was playing in the chamber orchestra for a show called Satyracon, a brash gaudy show with lots of pizzazz. He and Ralph Sauer were performing together and that was awesome. We finally got to perform together for the first time after I won the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Principal Trombone position in 1974. For the first two weeks of the season, we rehearsed the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique and took it on tour to Japan. Dennis was awesome and was always a great presence in the low brass section. Dennis was an amazing soloist as well, performing the Vaughan Williams Concerto twice in five seasons, plus performing Tubby the Tuba a couple times as well with the Vancouver Symphony. He was picture perfect all the time.
When Dennis left for the Montreal Symphony, I could tell that he really needed a change in scenery, as he had already performed in Vancouver for a long time. He had a great career with the MSO as well as teaching at McGill University. I will miss Dennis.
Dennis Miller on tour with the New Westminster Band c. 1959
Carolyn Christie
It was truly my pleasure to work in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra wind
section with Dennis Miller for many decades. We warmed up in the same
backstage area, and I cannot count the number of times Dennis would greet
me in the morning with his gorgeous sound singing away on a Bach Flute
Sonata melody. Always concerned with the well-being of his colleagues,
Dennis devoted countless hours to a musicians' committee formed to honor
retired members of the orchestra. In short, Dennis cared. He cared deeply
about the quality of the music, and he cared for those making it. He made a
big difference in the orchestra and to the humans playing the music. We
were so lucky to have had him as a colleague.
Seth Cook
I was fortunate enough to spend two years studying with Dennis, but I
learned from him every day of the seventeen years I knew him.
From the beginning, Dennis prioritized being a consummate musician, an
expressionist, a stylist, and sometimes a dancer, as he deftly demonstrated
as he waltzed around the room. Technical challenges were resolved in
service to the music, but also from his confidence that I "could just do
it," even if I hadn't come close yet.
His belief in me made me believe in me, and that made all the difference. I
credit my professional success to his guidance, and I hope I can
effectively teach and believe in others as he did for me.
Floyd Cooley
Dennis was a real charmer and great whistler. His influence benefited me in
many ways. While visiting Dennis in 1981 he helped me reach a double high C
which I had to perform in new cadenzas of the Ralph Vaughan Williams
Concerto with the SFSO. Upon returning to San Francisco, I opened my tuba
case and found his F tuba! Maybe we had too good of a time the night before
leaving. The exchange went smoothly. Dennis will always be remembered for
the wonderful human being he was.
Sasha Johnson
Principal Tuba, National Ballet of Canada Orchestra
One measure of a great artist is how they endure once they have sadly left
us. They live on as we read their words, look at their paintings, and sing
their songs. For an orchestral tuba player, exiled to the back row and a
role of mostly accompaniment, this kind of longevity might seem improbable,
yet thanks to his beautiful sound and unwavering musicality, Dennis Miller
will always be with us.
While he was a man of great explanation and storytelling, what I learned
most from Dennis was from playing beside him. Upon my return to Canada from
Europe in 2001, it was thanks to Dennis that I was able to begin my career
as a teacher and performer. He invited me to share his class at McGill
University, and when he needed an extra, to join him on stage with the
Montreal Symphony. Thankfully, this was a period of many two-tuba works,
and for ten years we often played side-by-side in the orchestra, and toured
together to Asia, Europe and to Carnegie Hall.
His sound and ease of tone production are my examples today. While instinct
might tell us to work harder, Dennis made everything sound easy and
beautiful. This approach speaks for itself in his fifty years as an
orchestral player and winning multiple auditions where most struggle to win
just one.
Dennis showed the world the possibilities and potential of this strange and
wonderful instrument of ours, not through power or decibels, but through
grace, poise, and beauty.
Farewell Dennis. Your beautiful sound still echoes in our ears.
Dave Kutz
Thinking back, I do not believe that there has been another person whom I
have more often consulted about life, and the job of a tuba player with
than Dennis. Therefore, writing something succinctly about him, without him
helping me, is especially daunting.
Since my audition at McGill University in 1990, we have been close. I
studied at McGill for almost three years, learning everything I could from
him from the love of music, the importance of professionalism, and what our
instrument should sound like. He was a natural talent, playing 51 years (!)
as a professional tubist. He was wise, caring, open, and extremely curious.
He had a beautiful refined, elegant sound. It was sonorous, it was
interesting, and it was singing...always singing. He was the voice of the
A&W bear.
Dennis heard me perform at my very best and worst, and he was always able
to lend a considerate word, reminding me of the essential concepts that we
learned so well through our separate studies with Jacobs. His retelling of
Chicago stories were often extensive and involved very late nights with a
12-year-old Macallan (much to Evelyne's dismay). I loved every minute.
After leaving for Europe, Dennis and I spoke often about the "job", and he
helped me understand how I could navigate the people and politics that came
with such a position. It was extremely helpful. Every trip home to Canada
involved a short visit to Montreal-West for a re-fresher of Dennis'
optimism. He was there when my father passed, and we spoke at-length of his
illness. His terrible difficulties in the last years was met with such
incredible self-confidence and hope, it was a real example of his true
character. I will miss him dearly.
Rest in the peace knowing that you made a difference Dennis.
Tom McCaslin
My studies with Dennis Miller began a year before I transferred to McGill
University in Montreal, where I completed my undergraduate degree, but the
real education took place during the many years that followed. His lessons
and guidance were formed by his unique experiences. He joined the Vancouver
Symphony directly after high school and he had no formal university
training. He studied privately with some of the greats of the tuba, but his
approach really came from his every day on the job perspective: listening
to other musicians (non-tuba players!). As the years have passed and I
started working professionally, lightbulbs would go off. I'll hear a
colleague turn a phrase and think: "That's what Dennis wanted in Rochut!",
or I'll hear the double basses really dig into a rhythmic passage and
think: "There's the Blazhevich he was asking for!". I feel fortunate that
I'm still learning from this wonderful man.
As much as I appreciate the musical knowledge, the real treasure was the
friendship and life lessons. Frequent texts, emails, and phone calls all
lending support for my personal and professional endeavors. Spending time
at ITECs and Domaine Forget are treasures I'll never forget. His devotion
to his wife and children really helped me realize the importance of balance
and priority.
Dennis' generosity knew no bounds. After the second audition to replace him
in the Montreal Symphony, he spread the word for all tuba players to join
him at a local brew pub. One by one all of us who didn't advance past the
semifinals filed in and enjoyed camaraderie, laughs, and countless stories.
Of course, Dennis covered the tab for an entire bar of tuba players.
Dennis loved John Fletcher. He talked about him a lot and always said how
he wished that more tuba players and musicians could have met him. He also
said that John Fletcher's colleagues described him as a "gentleman of the
orchestra". Well, I wish many more could have met and spent time with
Dennis. The tuba world will never know a better gentleman.
Pete Sullivan
Dennis and I were section mates for a dozen years in the great Orchestre
Symphonique de Montréal. The news of his passing saddened me greatly,
and I'm thankful to have had him as a trusted friend and colleague. He was
the wise old owl of our section, and I always appreciated his counsel and
leadership.
After his passing, I dusted off some of the dozens of recordings we made
together. What a great sound he had. Listening to those recordings was a
nice way to reconnect with him and the orchestra that we both loved so
much.
James Thompson
I first met Dennis when he joined the Montreal Symphony during the last
years of my time there. It was obvious that he was a world-class player
with a phenomenal tone and great musicianship. He was so easy to play with.
But he was so much more than that. A great colleague, family man, and
friend. We performed and recorded together and even toured in Mexico with
our respective wives Evelyn and Leslie. We performed a trumpet and tuba duo
while there. We promised ourselves we would play it again together, but
alas, it is not to be as they say. Leslie and I will always treasure those
moments of camaraderie, adventure, and friendship.
We will miss him and his humanity, as will his family. Our condolences go
out to Evelyn, and the whole family.
Former Second Flute, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Principal Tuba and Cimbasso
Washington National Opera Orchestra
Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra
Dennis Miller in 2003
Former Principal Tuba, San Francisco Symphony
Professor of Tuba, DePaul University
Tuba Faculty, Schulich School of Music of McGill University
Miraphone Company Advertisement from 1971
Principal Tuba, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Dennis Miller serenading his daughter Toby in 1981
Principal Tuba, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
University of Calgary, Lecturer of Tuba and Euphonium
Stratford Brass Quintet c. 1969. Left to Right: Ralph Sauer, Arthur
Freeman, Dennis Miller, Robert Creech, and Robert Oades
Principal Trombone, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Dennis Miller with Montreal Symphony Orchestra colleagues. Left to
Right: James Box, Vivian Lee, Pierre Beaudry, and Dennis Miller
Professor of Trumpet, Eastman School of Music
Former Principal Trumpet, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Former Principal Trumpet, Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Dennis Miller
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