Page 6 - Thirty-Sixth Conovcation - November 4, 214

HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT
TANIA MILLER
November 4, 2014, 9:30 a.m.
Victoria Symphony (VS) Music Director Tania Miller is a leader in her field. Under her guidance over the last 12 years, the Victoria Symphony has flourished. A powerful communicator and advocate for the arts, Maestra Miller strives to bring orchestral music to all walks of life.
As music director at the VS, Maestra Miller is responsible for developing the vision, programming and artistic standards for the orchestra and serves as its principal conductor. She is the first Canadian woman to lead a major symphony orchestra in Canada, and among a handful of female conductors in North America.
Maestra Miller has increased the presence of the VS in the community. She has built on the success of events such as Symphony Splash, which reaches 40,000 people annually, introduced summer performances at Butchart Gardens and organized diverse and dynamic programs for adults and children including education concerts for 7,000 children each year. Known as a musical innovator, Maestra Miller has organized and collaborated with community groups to bring special festivals such as the Emily Carr festival, A Chinatown Celebration, the Cage festival and the Beethoven festival to Victoria residents.
Prior to joining the VS, Maestra Miller spent four seasons as assistant and then associate conductor at Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. In addition to conducting numerous operas, Maestra Miller has been guest conductor with orchestras in Switzerland, Poland, the United States and across Canada. In North America, she has worked with the Toronto Symphony, Seattle Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony and the Orchestre Métropolitain du Montreal among others.
She holds master’s and doctoral degrees in conducting from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and completed a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and education at the University of Saskatchewan.
Maestra Miller lives in Vancouver with her husband and two sons.
6