
Ronnita Miller
Erda
Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller enjoys a richly varied 2024-25 season. In the fall, she returns to The Metropolitan Opera, singing the Voice from Above in Die Frau ohne Schatten, and covering Antonia’s Mother in Les contes d’Hoffmann. She appears with the Columbus Symphony for Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, and debuts with Kentucky Opera for the premiere of This Little Light of Mine, portraying the prominent civil and voting rights activist Fanny Lou Hamer.
During the 2023-2024 season, Miller returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Marquise de Birkenfeld in La fille du régiment, later reprising the role of Ella in performances of X: The Life and Times of Malcom X with Seattle Opera. On the concert stage, she appeared with the Rotterdam Philharmonic on tour for Die Walküre, singing Grimgerde under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, bowed with the New World and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestras for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and joined the Tucson Symphony for Verdi’s Requiem.
In the summer of 2022, Ronnita Miller sang Schwertleite in Die Walküre with the Los Angeles Philharmonic 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.
Ronnita Miller is a frequent collaborator with internationally-renowned conductors and symphony orchestras. She 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, has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana under the baton of Riccardo Muti (recorded and released on the CSO Resound label). Miller made her role debut as Fricka with the Odense Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the late Alexander Vedernikov, and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 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. Guest appearances elsewhere include 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. 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. Other notable recent appearances include San Diego Symphony and North Carolina Symphony for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and recitals with New World Symphony and the Merola Festival.
Equally at home on stage, Miller’s recent operatic highlights include: her return to The Metropolitan Opera as Big Stone in Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice, 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, Erda and First Norn at San Francisco Opera and performances at Semperoper Dresden as Erda under the baton of Christian Thielemann; Lyric Opera Chicago in her signature role of Erda in Siegfried; further performances of Erda in Das Rheingold at Teatro Real, Madrid; The Metropolitan Opera as First Norn in Götterdämmerung, and her debut 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.
Miller was member the ensemble of 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. She spent seven seasons there, singing other roles including: Anna in Les Troyens, Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana, Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera, Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Mary in Der fliegende Holländer, Madelon in Andrea Chenier, 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, Handmaiden in L’invisible, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Marthe Schwertlein in Faust and Maddalena/Giovanna in Rigoletto.
In addition to performing, 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.