Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller enjoys a richly varied 2023-2024 season. In the fall, Ms. Miller returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Marquise de Birkenfeld in La fille du régiment, followed by continued performances of Ella in X: The Life and Times of Malcom X with Seattle Opera. On the concert stage, she joins the Rotterdam Philharmonic on tour for Die Walküre, singing Grimgerde under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Additionally, she joins the New World Symphony for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and the Tucson Symphony for Verdi’s Requiem.
In the summer of 2022, Ronnita Miller joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Schwertleite in Die Walküre at the Hollywood Bowl. That autumn began with a return to San Francisco Opera as Filippyevna in Eugene Onegin, before reprising the role of Ella in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X with Opera Omaha. Later in the season, she returned to Atlanta Opera as Erda in Das Rheingold. In concert, she appeared twice during the season at Carnegie Hall: with the American Symphony Orchestra as Gaea in Strauss' Daphne, and with Oberlin College as the mezzo soloist for Dett’s The Ordering of Moses. She also sang her first career performance of Handel's Messiah with the Indianapolis Symphony.
During the 2021-2022 season, Ms. Miller performed with The Metropolitan Opera as Big Stone in Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice, and the Detroit Opera (formerly Michigan Opera Theater) as Ella in a new production of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, a role she also performed and recorded with Boston Modern Opera Project (2023 Grammy nominee for Best Opera Recording.) She also joined the San Diego Symphony and North Carolina Symphony for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and appeared in recital with New World Symphony. Ms. Miller’s 2020-2021 season saw performances at The Atlanta Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, and in the summer of 2021 she curated a recital titled What the Heart Desires with tenor Nicholas Phan for the Merola Festival.
Ms. Miller was a member of the ensemble at Deutsche Oper Berlin for seven seasons. Performances there in the 19-20 season included Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana, Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Mary in Der fliegende Holländer, Madelon in Andrea Chenier, and Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera. She also made her debut at the Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam as Fricka in a performance of Die Walküre, conducted by Jaap van Zweden, and in the US she joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to sing Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana under the baton of Riccardo Muti. Ms. Miller was then scheduled to returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago to continue her portrayal of Erda and First Norn in Der Ring des Nibelungen, sing the Verdi Requiem in Utrecht, and end the season at Cincinnati Opera in her role debut as Amneris in Aida, however these performances were cancelled due to the global pandemic.
In previous seasons at Deutsche Oper Berlin, she sang Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette before returning to Lyric Opera Chicago in her signature role of Erda in Siegfried. She gave further performances of Erda in Das Rheingold at Teatro Real, Madrid before returning to The Metropolitan Opera to sing the First Norn in Götterdämmerung, and to Boston Symphony Orchestra where she sang Schwertleite in Die Walküre at Tanglewood. In the UK she sang First Norn at the Edinburgh International Festival with Sir Andrew Davis, and at Brighton Festival, Tippett’s A Child of our Time with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Role highlights at Deutsche Oper Berlin include the Handmaiden in L’invisible, Fenena in Nabucco, and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, and Marthe Schwertlein in Faust. Other recent highlights include Erda and First Norn at San Francisco Opera and performances at Semperoper Dresden as Erda under the baton of Christian Thielemann. Guest appearances elsewhere included the role of Amando in Le Grand Macabre under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle with both the London Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic, as well as Verdi’s Requiem at Staatsoper Hannover.
Ms. Miller joined the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper Berlin for the 2013-14 season and made her house and role debut as Fenena in Nabucco, additionally singing Grimgerde in Die Walküre and First Norn in Götterdämmerung. Other roles have included Anna in Les Troyens, Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia, Alice in Lucia di Lammermoor, Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin, Wowkle in La Fanciulla del West, Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisande, and Maddalena/Giovanna in Rigoletto.
Ronnita Miller made her role debut as Fricka with the Odense Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the late Alexander Vedernikov. In previous seasons she debuted as Mistress Quickly in Falstaff with Los Angeles Opera, where she also sang Mary in Der Fliegende Holländer, a role she also performed at the Ravinia Festival. She joined the Cincinnati May Festival for both the Mahler's Eighth Symphony and a special anniversary performance of Nathaniel Dett's The Ordering of Moses under the baton of James Conlon, which was also presented at New York’s Carnegie Hall in a live broadcast performance.
In addition to performing, Ms. Miller has conducted masterclasses at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida, outreach classes in NYC, written for online publications including Interview En L'air, and has taught private lessons.
