HAMILTON, ON – Celebrated Canadian conductor Tania Miller has been appointed as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Brott Music Festival, the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and BrottOpera, effective immediately.
About
Miller says she wants to build on the legacy of the 36-year-old Festival and hopes to usher in a new era of artistic excellence and community engagement locally and nationally.
“It’s a profound honour for me to join the ranks of one of Canada’s most significant arts organizations,” said Miller, fresh off opening night conducting Vancouver Opera’s Magic Flute. “I am devoted to nurturing and developing the incredible talents of young Canadian instrumentalists, singers, and conductors.”
Miller’s appointment marks an exciting phase for the Festival, as the music community continues to grieve the sudden and shocking death of its founding Artistic Director Boris Brott last year.
“It was the best of times and the worst of times,” says Executive Director Ardyth Brott of the loss of her husband and outpouring of community support for the Festival since. “Now, we look forward to nothing but the best – Tania’s collaborative approach, passionate communication style and dedication to young talent made her the ideal candidate for the future of Brott Music.”
Brott says that Miller’s impressive recommendations from across Canada, the United States and Europe put her at the top of the Festival’s wish list. “She has some really innovative ideas for making audience experiences new, memorable and immersive,” says Brott. “Join us in 2024 and you will be joining us for a season of light.”
Miller says her focus in the upcoming 2024 season, is to foster a strong sense of ownership, pride, and identity in the musicians. “I envision a range of innovative concerts and events that will create deeper connections between our audiences and our exceptionally talented musicians. The Brott Festival already boasts a rich history of mentorship and educational development.”
Fittingly, Miller will make her Hamilton stage debut this November 2nd at Great Hall Boris Brott in a concert for the next generation of audiences – students aged K-6 in her original concert program The Search for the Magic of Music.
“My goal for the whole festival is to revitalize the way our audiences connect with music, creating experiences that are unexpected, emotionally moving, and relevant to our culture and community. The tremendous young musicians of the National Academy and Brott Opera will play a pivotal role in achieving this vision.”
“Tania Miller’s vision is a significant step forward for our organization,” says BMF Board Chair Judy Marsales. “We eagerly await the transformative impact she will have on the the Brott Festival family and our role in the Greater Hamilton community.”
Maestra Miller’s tenure follows the two-year Interim leadership of conductor and trombonist Alain Trudel, whom both Brott and Marsales commended for his leadership, and for stepping into the role so quickly and seamlessly. Miller will be next seen on Festival stages beginning in June 2024.
Tania Miller
Critics have praised Tania Miller for her captivating performances, noting her “calm intensity” and interpretations that are “expressive, colourful, and full of life”. Her concerts are described as “technically immaculate, vivid, and stirring,” highlighting her exceptional musicality. Maestra Miller made her debut with the prestigious Vancouver Opera this past Saturday with the production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Formerly the Music Director of Canada’s Victoria Symphony for an impressive 14 years, she earned the title of Music Director Emerita in recognition of her profound impact on the orchestra and the community. Recent engagements include the Chicago Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, I Musici de Montreal, Chautauqua Symphony, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. She conducted Calgary Opera in Lehar’s Merry Widow and upcoming will conduct Sondra Radvanovsky and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra with Opera West.
Learn more at taniamiller.com
Our Mission
The 36-year-old Brott Music Festival was founded in 1987 by Boris Brott and is one of our anchor arts organizations in Hamilton, ON and is the largest orchestral music festival in Canada.
Brott Music presents classical, opera, jazz, Broadway, chamber, rock, pops, and education concerts of the highest calibre in the Golden Horseshoe. It is a fully incorporated, not for profit charitable organization with a dedicated Board of Directors, staff, and volunteer contingent.
Brott Music’s mission is to ensure that its music-making will enthrall every age, gender, and ethnicity; to impart a love of music from all our musicians to all of our audiences, to imbue those listeners with the desire and motivation to be better and more productive members of their communities and to enrich our community’s cultural tapestry.
Vision
Brott Music believes that music should be celebrated alongside other art forms to enhance our audience’s experience. You will find our orchestra performing alongside painters and Prime Ministers; ballet dancers and blues bands; authors, acrobats, astronauts and Arkells!
Brott Music’s artistic vision reaches far beyond being a music festival. The goal to ensure our music and mission are diverse and inclusive of people of all ages, financial means and cultural backgrounds including Indigenous artists and audiences. BMF increases accessibility to the arts through dynamic programming and affordable price structures in a variety of spaces.
