Maria Elizabeth Miller

Maria Miller is a piano and vocal instructor and a professional opera singer. She grew up in a musical family, hearing her mom play the piano and her dad playing French horn, and learned to sing and read music from her grandmother. She has experience with musical theatre, classical, pop, barbershop, and choral singing, and uses bodywork to explore comfortable techniques for piano and voice alike. Lessons with Maria are encouraging, fun and challenging, and are geared to help find creative solutions for any age, confidence level, or style of learning.

As an opera singer, she has performed with Cincinnati Opera including several workshops and a premiere with OperaFusion: New Works, as well as Sarasota Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and Opera on the James, and has completed residencies with Des Moines Metro Opera, Sarasota Opera and the Santa Fe Opera (Covid19). Maria received accolades at the Saisons de la Voix competition in Gordes, France, two Encouragement Awards at the regional level of the Laffont Competition, and the Treigle Award in the Corbett Competition. In 2019-2020, she co-wrote Opera in Overalls’ recital series Once Upon A Time that included a feature recital film intended for childrens’ audiences with the Kentucky National Association of Teachers of Music. Maria served as a house intern at the Ruban Vert Théâtre in Aix-en-Provence, France in 2014, and has since offered translation and coaching services for numerous institutions and composers in French and Italian.

As an educator, Maria has over six years of experience with children’s theatre programming at Market House Theatre in Paducah, KY. Maria holds both a Masters of Music and a Bachelors of Music in Voice from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Additional studies include the Mascarade Opera Studio in Florence, Italy. She holds a French Honors Certificate from the Institute of American Universities, and studied French language and history at the University of Louisville.

"My approach to teaching voice comes from a deep foundation in the bel canto traditions, combined with bodywork. I have experience helping many singers find their voice, and have been told that my teaching has helped them tremendously on their journeys. I firmly believe that this foundation can bring singers to new heights in EVERY genre, whether it is pop, rock, opera, or musical theatre. I enjoy teaching it all. In terms of serious singers looking to study advanced/professional operatic technique, this is where my area of expertise lies, as well as any potential clients who have had vocal issues in the past. However, my bread and butter is in laying a solid foundation in piano and vocally with my young students, piano and voice students starting around the age of 14 on through high school, and then in middle-aged adults who are looking to find their voice. I find that work extremely rewarding and exciting!"