In Wednesday’s (5/12) Times-Picayune (New Orleans), Chris Waddington profiles Rebecca Miller, who concludes her tenure as resident conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra this season. “Was it a sign of recovery when the Red Cross food vans stopped delivering hot lunches to your flooded neighborhood? When the National Guard stopped patrolling New Orleans streets? Try to think of the departure of Rebecca Miller in the same light. The gifted, 34-year-old conductor will leave New Orleans this summer, after helping the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra through three seasons of its post-Katrina rebuilding. With her final public concert scheduled for Wednesday—the season finale for the Casual Classics series that she programmed and led in Kenner—Miller spoke about the LPO, her future and her eventful time in New Orleans. … Miller’s departure is largely due to the orchestra’s efforts to refocus its strategic plan, said LPO Managing Director Babs Mollere. Those plans have music director Carlos Miguel Prieto conducting more concerts … Miller brought her own special artistry to the orchestra. … ‘I will always miss the LPO,’ Miller said. ‘As a group, these 67 musicians are incredibly open-minded. They function as a co-operative, build forums for discussion into their operations, give everyone a say—and that lays the foundation for some truly engaged music-making.’ ”Miller is a former League of American Orchestras American Conducting Fellow.
Posted May 13, 2010
