The Colorado State University Department of Music is proud to announce that Margaret Miller, special assistant professor of viola and chamber music, and coordinator of CSU’s Graduate String Quartet Program, received the 2010 Outstanding Teacher Award from the Colorado American String Teachers Association, Inc. The award was presented during the 2011 Colorado Music Educators Association Clinic/Conference held at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO on Friday, January 28, 2011.

“I am very honored to receive the Outstanding Teacher Award for 2010 from the Colorado Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. It is quite something to be recognized by one’s peers,” said Miller.

“I want to thank the Colorado chapter members for this honor, and recognize my fellow nominees, and outstanding teachers, Dr. James Fittz, professor of music and cello at the University of Northern Colorado, and Dr. Paul Erhard, associate professor of double bass at the University of Colorado,” said Miller in her acceptance speech.

“Margaret is a wonderful teacher and mentor for our students,” said Todd Queen, Chair of Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. “She comes to CSU with an extensive background of professional chamber music, and she instills that professionalism in our students.”

A Recognized Program
Students under the tutelage of Ms. Miller were members of the CSU Chamber Orchestra invited to participate in clinics at the 2006 ASTA conference in Detroit, and have also performed sessions at the Colorado Music Educators Association for six of the past seven years, including a performance on January 29, 2011.

Under the direction of Miller, CSU’s Graduate String Quartet was invited to study and perform at the prestigious Orvieto Musica in Orvieto, Italy for the 2009 installment of the three-week international chamber music intensive.

CSU was recognized for its engagement with high school students by being selected to host the Colorado All-State Orchestra in 2009; the event returned to CSU in 2010 and 2011.

This is also the second consecutive year a member of the CSU music faculty has received the award. Wes Kenney, professor of music and director of orchestras at CSU received the Outstanding Teaching Award for 2009.

An Outstanding Teacher
Margaret Miller enjoys a career filled with a wide variety of teaching and performing. She is currently assistant professor of viola and chamber music and coordinator of the Graduate String Quartet Program at Colorado State University. She is also instructor at Colorado College and has a thriving private studio in Colorado Springs.

For eighteen years, Ms. Miller was violist of the Da Vinci Quartet, which was in residence at the University of Denver and Colorado College. The Quartet toured the US, and was also prizewinners in the prestigious Naumberg and Shostakovich Quartet Competitions. The Da Vinci Quartet recorded for Naxos American Classics, and released the first recording of Fanny Mendelssohn’s String Quartet. Active in outreach performances, the Quartet created the HeartStrings program which was featured in a segment of the NewsHour on PBS.

In addition to her private teaching, Ms. Miller is a coach for the High School Quartet program at CSU, and has coached sectionals and chamber music for the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony. She has given recitals and master classes at Kansas State University, Western State College, Ft. Lewis College, Albuquerque Youth Symphony, Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, and in Colorado Springs.

Margaret holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she also received a certificate from the Institute for chamber Music directed by the fine Arts Quartet. Her students have gone on to a variety of careers, both in and out of music, but found the opportunity to keep playing.