Gary Miller

The genius of Dr. Gary L. Miller was lived throughout his life, but shone most brightly when he was on campus among his students and colleagues. As a beloved music professor, Miller touched the lives of many aspiring artists who went on to perform, to teach, and to simply enjoy music. He commented that he never met a student he didn't like -- some who could put out more effort, maybe -- but they were all good kids.

Miller, who died in May 2011, was vital to Southeast's visual and performing arts program. During his 30 years at Southeast, he lived out a legacy of teaching and learning. The organ practice room in the Seminary Building at the River Campus is being named in his honor.

Miller was associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and director of the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts at the River Campus, which opened in 2007. Under his stewardship, the River Campus became a premier place for artists and performers to hone and practice their talents. He said, "The big advantage to students studying the fine arts (theatre, dance, art, and music) together is they have the opportunity to learn from each other in an environment dedicated solely to their areas of study."

Miller was a talented organ and harpsichord player who also played the cello, English horn, oboe, and piano. He held a degree from the University of Northern Iowa (1967) and master's and doctoral degrees in organ performance from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (1968 and 1980, repectively.) He served in the U.S. Navy music program from 1969 to 1973, deploying to Europe aboard vessels including the aircraft carrier JFK. In 1976 he earned the Artist's Diploma from the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany, where he studied for two years under the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, a German government academic exchange commission. He was fluent in German and enjoyed mimiking various American accents.

Miller joined the music faculty in 1980 and held the rank of professor in the Deparment of Music, serving as department chair from 200 to 2006. He often performed as a solo organist and harpsichordist and was a founding member of the Southeast Baroque Ensemble, a faculty group devoted to the performance of music using historical instruments. he performed extensively in the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands. Miller also performed regularly with the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra and enjoyed playing with jazz ensembles.

Performers