Sudden death of Eastman professor
RIPMessage from the Dean of Eastman School of Music:
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a deeply heavy heart I write to inform you that our dear friend and recently retired colleague, Russell Miller, passed away on Monday morning. At the moment, we do not have details about the cause of death.
Russell was Professor Emeritus of Vocal Coaching and Repertoire, and he taught at Eastman from 1995 through his retirement in 2022. He was a beloved professor, a beautiful musician, and a colleague who cared deeply about our students and school. His bio can be found here on the Eastman website.
I will share additional information as we learn more, including any details relative to a memorial service. For now, please hold Russell’s husband, Todd, in your thoughts and hearts, as well as our many colleagues, students, and alumni who will be deeply distressed by this devastating news.
Jamal
Jamal J. Rossi
When I was a student at Eastman, I had the privelege of both being coached by Dr. Miller as a pianist in art song and singing alongside him in plainchant as cantors at nearby Christ Church in Rochester. Both were treasured experiences. He was deeply respected by all of the students and faculty, known by everybody as kind, passionate, and frighteningly knowledgeable. A great role model.
Noo! As a voice student at esm Russell was a gift and a genius. Anything I would say to how brilliant and how caring he was would only diminish because I was never a good enough student to even put into words how great a professor he was. He would demand unbelievable amounts of research from every student. You had to know what color the dirt under the composers fingernails was. Don’t even think about asking why: if you didn’t understand the struggle of the composer at that moment did you truly understand the song? He was a consummate professional and as caring a soul as you could ever know. The only examples of him not caring were when students didn’t care, and even then he was sad that he couldn’t make them care. The man was an encyclopedia and a running joke of the type of academic achievement no mere mortal was capable of. “Did you forget about Mozart’s children in your analysis?” “yes, but I’m no Russell Miller.”
Btw, he would be super pissed not to be mentioned as great pianist. He made it a point every year to showcase his solo pianistic skills with a devilishly difficult technical solo piece, so no pianist EVER had the excuse of being merely an “accompanist”. In fact, he taught me the important principle, especially when doing art song, that art song is a duet between the pianist and the singer. He taught me to always say “pianist” not “accompanist” because in a cello+oboe duet neither is an accompaniment, likewise with voice and piano. He liked to add, “if one were accompanying the other, the singer sings one note and the pianist plays up to 10, so you would lose that argument…” lol, he was so funny in that nerdy way that you can’t help but have enormous respect for.
I asked him to play my carnegie hall recital but he was too busy. This is a man I spent wonderful Italian nights in Urbania drinking limoncello and talking music and life till late hours. I guess I thought one day I would have another chance to have a glass of limoncello together and discuss what we learned years later. Poor guy.
Call your mentor. Your chance to have a glass of limoncello and talk life is fleeting. Apparently, you can read in a blog that it isn’t there anymore.
I’ll miss you Russell. Save a seat for me in whatever class you teach next. :'(
Russell was my regular accompanist/collaborator when we were teen and 20-somethings in Southern California. What a joy it was to make music with him!
We had both studied with Brooks Smith so were bonded. He was a good friend and great colleague. I loved spending time at Eastman with him when he invited me. I had no idea he was ill. RIP Russ.