ASO concert honors David Allen Miller’s 30 years as Musical Director
ALBANY, N.Y. — Albany Symphony Fun facts: The ASO was founded in 1930.
This makes it approximately 90 years old. David Allen Miller became the ASO music director and conductor in 1992, which means he has led the symphony for 30 years, a third of its existence. This year Miller turned 60, which means he has been the ASO conductor for half his life.
In a recent telephone interview prior to Saturday night’s concert at Albany’s Palace Theatre, Miller seemed to take great glee having it pointed out half his life has been devoted to taking a good regional orchestra and elevating it to national prominence.
“I’d like to say it’s flown by, but it’s been a very happy process that sometimes feels like it happened in slow-motion. It’s been wonderful and there is nowhere else I would consider living or creating,” he says.
During the course of our conversation he expressed pride in the ASO’s many achievements which include two Grammy awards and multiple invitations to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York’s prestigious Spring for Music Festival, an education program. Popular youth concerts, the formation of the multiday American Music Festival, the creation of the cutting-edge chamber ensemble Dogs of Desire. Many, many more highlights and honors, both personal and institutional, have adorned his years at the helm.
However, though national recognition is something to be proud of, Miller insists local impact is how the ASO makes its greatest contribution to society. “We exist in an area with many great arts and cultural institutions. I am enormously proud of how the Albany Symphony contributes to the arts eco-system of our community,” he says.
Indeed, it would be tempting to begin the season as a personal celebration to honor his tenure. Instead, as music director Miller put together a program which he says, “Is about coming back. It’s a celebration of a live concert experience.”
A tribute to Miller’s leadership is that the ASO did have a season for most of the pandemic. Even though it was streamed, and the full orchestra never played together, it kept musicians employed and the symphony connected to their audience. Being aware that not everyone is yet willing to gather in a concert setting, there is also available a streaming option to the Palace Theatre concert.
Miller calls the concert’s program one that represents the mood of the times rather than the highlights of his career. “That will come over the course of the season. In later programs I’ve selected some of my alpha-favorite pieces, works by new composers we believe in and in-general, we will be offering selections that celebrate music as both an enduring and evolving art form.”
Saturday’s program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3: Eroica, which Miller calls ”A transformational piece. It expanded what music can be,” he says. “It’s a heroic affirmation of life, and that’s what we all need today.”
Also on the program is a taste of Sibelius’ “Lemminkainen Suite.” The concert closes with “Coincident Dances” by contemporary composer Jessie Montgomery.
Miller claims the Beethoven as one of his favorite works, but the Montgomery work is more personal.
If there is one aspect of Miller’s legacy in which he takes great pride it is the ASO’s impact on contemporary music through its support of living composers. He says that the idea of offering non-traditional music was always part of the orchestra’s DNA.
“Coincident Dances” by Jessie Montgomery is an example of the rewards of Miller’s dedication to emerging artists. The New York Times just did a feature on the young composer claiming she is “changing the canon for American audiences.” Miller calls her “the composer of the moment.”
But the ASO was there first. Montgomery has been associated with the ASO for years as a performer, composer and educator. They offered world premieres of her compositions and she did a yearlong residence with them in 2015-16. Now the rest of the world is playing catchup.
Miller’s point is not only did our community have the privilege of experiencing the talent of Jessie Montgomery before the rest of the world. His pride comes because our area has the cultural sophistication that permits the Albany Symphony to be innovative and risk-taking and produce work by unknown artists, so they will someday have fulfilling careers.
“This is a community that not only accepts challenging work, it demands it. I just hope everyone realizes what a wonderful place this is to live,” he says, sounding almost buoyant.
Saturday’s concert honors both the Albany Symphony Orchestra and the entire capital region. Whether he admits it or not, it is also a tribute to David Allen Miller’s 30 years of providing area audiences a reason to be proud of the region we call home.
Albany Symphony Orchestra. 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Palace Theatre, Albany. For tickets and streaming information go to albanysymphony.com To attend, proof of vaccination is needed, and a face mask must be worn inside the theater.