Heralded as a singer with “skill and confidence,” Dr. Samantha Miller has built a successful career as both a hybrid voice teacher and performer. Since moving to Lynchburg in 2014, Samantha has performed regionally with organizations such as Opera Roanoke, Opera on the James, Lynchburg Symphony, and Roanoke Symphony. Locally, she has taken on roles including Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel, La Maestra delle Novizie in Suor Angelica, Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man, as well as numerous performances of Handel’s Messiah.
She has also held professional engagements with organizations such as Virginia Opera, Opera Columbus, Opera Louisiane, Choral Acadienne, and Prelude to Performance in NYC. Her favorite operatic roles include Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, and Queen of the Night from Die Zauberflöte. Her favorite performed concert works include Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, Verdi’s Requiem, and Bach’s Magnificat.
Dr. Miller is a Professor of Voice, Vocal Coordinator, and Opera Director at Liberty University. Many of her students, past and present, have won or placed in national vocal competitions and are successfully pursuing careers as opera singers, musical theater performers, worship leaders, and performing artists. Her students actively participate in summer and young artist programs with organizations such as Opera Roanoke, Ohio Light Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, Opera Lucca, Saluzzo Opera Academy, Chicago Summer Opera, and Trentino Music Festival. Samantha is deeply committed to helping singers unlock their full vocal potential across all genres and styles, and she strives to instill that passion in her singing.
Samantha is also an active writer and researcher. Her research on Stephen Collins Foster has been published in Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories that Shaped Our Culture. Additionally, she is a featured contributor to The Choral Director’s Cookbook, published by GIA Publications. Dr. Miller earned a D.M.A. in Vocal Performance (2009) and an M.M in Vocal Performance (2006) from Ohio State University, where she studied under Dr. Robin Rice. While she maintains a busy schedule as a professor and performer, Samantha’s greatest honor is being the wife of Gabriel and the mother of Bowden and Jude.