Concertmaster leads a busy life

Sat, May 17 2008

— BY RUTH RICE
RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM
Dena Miller of Pittsburgh keeps Johnstown Symphony Orchestra playing a sweet tune.
As concertmaster, it is Miller's duty to tune up the orchestra before Maestro Istvan Jaray takes the stage.
"It's challenging, but I enjoy it," Miller said. "I've learned a lot and grown in my playing. I had the opportunity, and I took it."
Miller has been concertmaster for Johnstown Symphony since 2000 and has played first violin for the orchestra since 1991.
Before becoming concertmaster, Miller was named assistant concertmaster, then associate, which essentially meant she was second or third in line when others could not perform.
"I was acting concertmaster," Miller said. "This position is usually by audition, but my work served as my audition. It's not unexpected. People naturally fall into that position."
Miller explained that in Bach's lifetime, in the 17th century, the concertmaster and first violin actually conducted the orchestra.
A concertmaster was akin to an assistant conductor.
Miller also is a member of Youngstown Symphony in Ohio, Westmoreland Symphony in Greensburg and McKeesport Symphony in Pittsburgh.
She also is a substitute for Pittsburgh Opera.
Miller plays first violin for all the orchestras and has been asked to be concertmaster for some of them.
"Word gets around, I guess," she said.
Miller has a busy musical schedule, playing with four orchestras, sometimes performing two or three weekends a month.
Rehearsals and performances, thankfully, come on different schedules.
Johnstown's are weekly, usually on Mondays unless there is a concert that week, while Youngstown rehearses Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with Saturday night concerts.
"They don't all do the same schedule," Miller said. "And organizations like this usually draw from the same pool of people, so we play in the same groups."
Miller said she isn't quite as busy this year because there's a scheduling conflict with Westmoreland Symphony and Johnstown.
"I'm going to stick with Johnstown," Miller said. "I enjoy coming to Johnstown and working with the conductor and the people."
When she's not performing, Miller is an adjunct teacher in violin and viola and coaches strings at Rogers Creative & Performing Arts Middle School in Pittsburgh.
She received a bachelor of music degree in violin performance from Indiana University in Bloomington.
Miller admits that music is so much a part of her life, she doesn't have time for hobbies.
She said she is kept busy with performing and teaching.
"I'm single, but that can be a problem, too, because some weeks I get the cleaning done and some weeks I don't.
"It's a catch-22," she said.

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