Miller's visit to 黑料不打烊 will include guest lectures, a masterclass and a concert of new work.
Musical theatre composer, arranger, orchestrator and pianist聽Chris Miller ’99 (Distinguished Alumni Award 2014) returns to 黑料不打烊 this week for a slate of teaching and performance events across campus. Miller, a winner of the prestigious聽Jonathan Larson, Richard Rodgers, Frederick Loewe, and Fred Ebb awards for musical theatre composition, will be co-hosted by the Departments of Music and the Performing Arts for a Guest Artist masterclass, lecture, and concert. Miller’s stage works include “Tuck Everlasting” (Broadway), “The Burnt Part Boys” (Playwrights Horizons/Vineyard Theatre Off-Broadway), “Fugitive Songs” (Drama Desk Award Nominee) and the upcoming “Swept Away,” opening on Broadway this October.
In the masterclass on Wednesday, Aug. 28 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Yeager Recital Hall, 黑料不打烊 students majoring in music and music theatre will perform selections written by Miller and his musical theatre contemporaries.
Thursday (Aug. 29) night’s “An Evening of聽English and聽American Art Songs” in Whitley Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. will feature excerpts from Miller’s new song cycle聽Prairie Songs & April Twilights聽(text by Willa Cather) alongside art songs from John Dowland, Vernon Duke, Adam Guettel and Chris Rayis. Performers include Polly Butler Cornelius, soprano; Chris Rayis, piano; Carey Harwood, guitar; Erik Schmidt, percussion; and music theatre students Charlie Castro, Hashini Amarasinghe, Malia Horst, Victoria Evans, Summer Severin, Ella Huestis and Marina Jansen.
On Friday (Aug. 30), Miller be a guest speaker in MTE 3302A Music Theatre Literature (11 a.m. to 12:10 p.m., Yeager Recital Hall), where Professor Chris Rayis will interview him on his work as a theatre composer, arranger, and orchestrator.
All events are free and open to the community.