Artist Spotlight: Dan Miller
Dan Miller is internationally renowned as a concert organist. He has also taught music, conducted choral groups and orchestras, led and facilitated worship in many different settings, and managed large concert productions and music conferences. He is also respected as an innovative leader in handbells. A professional member of the American Society of Composers and Publishers, Dan is well-known for his composing and arranging, and has several published works. He has been seen and heard live in concert and through recordings on radio, television, and the internet. He has been the featured solo organist with several symphony orchestras. Dan is a former Dean of the Ft. Lauderdale chapter of The American Guild of Organists. He is the University Organist and Adjunct Professor of Applied Organ at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.
A church organist since age fifteen [1], Dan Miller has served at several notable churches. At Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida [2], he served as assistant organist to Diane Bish. At Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina [3], he presided over the world’s thirteenth-largest pipe organ (Moller 5 manuals/205 ranks with 11,499 pipes). Currently, Dan is the Organist for St. Matthew Lutheran Church [4] and a Guest Organist for Bethel Congregational Church [5], both in Beaverton, Oregon. He also serves many churches nationwide as Guest Organist for their worship services, including [6] the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
Dan holds a Church Music Diploma from Moody Bible Institute. He majored in organ performance at the American Conservatory of Music, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University, and a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from Winthrop University.
He has recorded 22 organ compact discs, of which some selections have been broadcast on National Public Radio’s “Pipedreams.” His first CD, The Calvary Grand Organ Dedication, was chosen as “The Organ CD to Die For” by Stereophile magazine. He continues to enjoy his work with teams and committees as consultant and advisor in designing organs of world-class significance and preeminence.
Dan Miller is in his 25th year at Rodgers Instruments, one of the world’s leading organ builders, in Hillsboro, Oregon, as Rodgers’ Artist and Tonal Professional. Dan is responsible for the artistic and musical decisions for the Rodgers’ sound, selection of stops, pipe organ samples and orchestral voices, and console layout designs. Dan has recorded 350 hymns for the Hymn Player system which, since 2010, is embedded in all Rodgers organs. He is a member of the product development team and performs final musical testing of each organ before it is packaged and shipped worldwide from the factory in Hillsboro, Oregon. He created the Owner’s Manuals for all the current Rodgers organ models. He has written numerous downloadable free organ sheet music on the Rodgers website. He has been featured in numerous Rodgers performance videos. But most of all, he enjoys celebrating new organ installations around the world with concerts, workshops, hymn festivals, and other musical events.
You don't even have to be a fan of organ music to be utterly amazed by Dan Miller. He is absolutely one of the best organists in the world. Dan hails from North Carolina originally and was director of music at the huge Calvary Church in Charlotte. He oversaw the installation of the Calvary Church organ (13th largest in the world) and the sound of this instrument alone demonstrates Dan's capabilities. Dan now works for Rodgers Organs in Hillsboro, Oregon; he is responsible for the quality and sound of their products. If you've heard a Rodgers Organ lately, you'll know a genius is behind them! Dan played two concerts in the Toronto/Hamilton areas last year and if you weren't there, you missed the experience of a lifetime! Check out Dan's website at www.danmillermusic.com and then buy the Calvary Organ Dedication CD. It's been described as the organ CD ‘to die for!’
- The Toronto Organ Club
