Symphony percussionist sticks with it

Sat, May 17 2008

— BY RUTH RICE
RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM
As principal percussionist for Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Gloria Miller makes sure all the crashes and bashes happen at the right times.
"Percussion is defined as anything you can hit, shake or rub," said Miller, who makes her home in Cranberry Township, Butler County. "It can even be sound effects, noisemakers and bird calls. It's anything and everything."
The more traditional percussion section of an orchestra includes timpani, xylophone, cymbals, triangle and other types of drums.
And Miller has been trained to play them all.
She starts her 20th season with Johnstown Symphony and has held the principle percussion position for 18 years.
The timpani, a set of four drums with adjustable pitches, is usually separated from the rest of the percussion instruments because timpani is an orchestral staple, having a part in every piece of music played.
Miller has played timpani for McKeesport Symphony Orchestra and has filled in for Ronald Horner, principal timpanist for Johnstown Symphony.
Miller said that, in general, dynamics and tempo are marked in the music, but sometimes a percussionist has to judge what to do.
"If something specific isn't there, you have to make the music alive," she explained. "Sometimes you hear it in the orchestra and it gets louder, sometimes it's background. It's all interpretation."
A percussionist's role can get hectic, depending on the music, how many percussion players are available and what instruments are available.
"You have to choreograph where everything is laid out," Miller said. "Depending on the piece, you can have one percussion instrument or five or six.
"The early classical pieces have one instrument."
For Johnstown Symphony, Miller has played solo or with five other musicians.
"It's her responsibility to assign the other players in the section," said Patricia Hofscher, symphony executive director.
"She parcels out the parts equally, giving everyone a chance.
"She's the manager of the section and plays at the same time," Hofscher said. "She goes from triangle to bass drum and has to hit it exactly right."
Hofscher remembers Miller playing an entire concert by herself when another percussion player couldn't be found.
"We're simply in awe of what she does," Hofscher said. "She finds Johnstown a challenge, and she comes every week without fail."
Miller considers it worthwhile to travel to Johnstown.
"It's a labor of love," she said.
"Only 2 (percent) or 3 percent of orchestral players in the world make a living at it."
With travel time, Miller often has a seven-hour night, leaving home at 5 and returning about midnight.
Many symphony members have met before, either while in college or playing with other orchestras.
"Everyone gets along well," Miller said. "It's a good group."
Miller has had an interest in percussion since she watched parades in her hometown of Patton, where she graduated from Cambria Heights High School.
"I couldn't sit still so that suited me," she said.
Miller incorporates her love of movement into her day job as a certified personal trainer.
She is manager of Female Physiques in the North Hills section of Pittsburgh, where she trains with clients and also works with them in their homes.
"I've done music and sports since junior high," Miller said.
"They're both my passion."
After going to school for music, Miller taught for a few years before studying for her national certificate in fitness and exercise.
In addition to playing with McKeesport Symphony, Miller has played with the Butler and Westmoreland symphony orchestras.
She has taught private lessons at the City Music Center program at Duquesne University School of Music and still performs solo marimba recitals.
Miller was a student of Gerald Unger, a former associate principal percussionist for the Pittsburgh Symphony, and attended workshops and private instruction with other Pittsburgh Symphony percussionists.
She also attended The National Orchestral Institute at the University of Maryland, which was coached by members of the Baltimore Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra.
Miller teaches music appreciation classes and gives music lectures at several senior centers in the Pittsburgh area, sometimes giving demonstrations on her instruments.
This fall, she plans to give demonstrations in Pittsburgh area elementary schools, introducing students to the world of percussion.
When not keeping the beat or keeping bodies in shape, Miller enjoys sports, nature and hiking.
"I'm not one to sit inside," she said. "I like to keep busy outside."

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