Tobie Miller
Tobie Miller, Photo: Radal Cook

Tobie Miller

Tobie Miller (CAN/FR/CH) is a singer, recorder player and virtuoso of the hurdy gurdy, specializing in historical performance on this instrument. Miller graduated from McGill University (Montreal, CAN) and later from the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basliensis (CH). As the recipient of several grants and awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, she pursued additional studies with Jean-Christophe Maillard (FR), Valentin Clastrier (FR) and Hopkinson Smith (CH), notably in support of her work on the baroque hurdy gurdy and transcriptions of J.S. Bach's solo cello and violin repertoire for the same instrument. Over the past two decades, Tobie Miller has established herself as a virtuoso of the baroque hurdy gurdy, and is the founder and director of the acclaimed Ensemble Danguy, which takes its name from the most famous hurdy gurdy player of the 18th century, and which has performed on the most important concert stages throughout Europe and North America. She has collaborated with noted musicians and ensembles such as the Ensemble Baroque de Limoges, Les Musiciens de Saint Julien, La Grande Écurie, Les Violons du Roy, La Bande Montréal Barqoue, Per Sonat, Ensemble Leones, Servir Antico, Le Miroir de Musique, Ensemble La Rota, and has recorded numerous CDs for labels such as Ricercar, Raumklang, Alpha, Christophorus, Atma, Laborie, Naxos...

 

Miller is a regular guest teacher at numerous institutions, festivals and workshops, and has taught at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, Conservatoire de Toulouse, Conservatoire Régional de Clermont-Ferrand, Zona da Zanfona, aCentral Folque, Asociaciòn Ibérica de la Zanfona, Sherborne Early Music Society, Over the Water Hurdy Gurdy Festival, Festival Chants de Vielles, in addition to giving regular workshops with Les Musiciens de Saint Julien, as well as teaching at the Musikschule Thalwil-Oberrieden.

Equally at home as an ensemble musician and as a soloist, Miller divides her time between her own Ensemble Danguy, appearances as a guest solo/chamber musician with other groups, and solo recitals of both early and modern repertoire. She has recorded 3 solo Cds to critical acclaim (“La Belle Vielleuse” and “Les Saisons Amusantes” together with Ensemble Danguy, as well as “Bach: Solo” transcriptions for hurdy gurdy from Bach's solo repertoire for cello and violin).