Conductor Tania Miller took the podium with a commanding presence Jan. 23 as she led the Eugene Symphony at the Hult Center in a dynamic performance of Andrea Tarrodi’s “Birds of Paradise,” Beethoven’s Piano Concert No. 4 and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1 that highlighted musical storytelling and captivated the audience with emotional depth and passion. 

Miller is one of five finalists selected out of more than 175 candidates for the Eugene Symphony’s musical director role along with Alexander Prior, Farkhad Khudyev, Rory Macdonald and Taichi Fukumura. She has served as the artistic director and conductor of the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and the Brott Opera. 

The coveted musical director position, most recently filled by Francesco Lecce-Chong, involves selecting music, hiring new musicians, conducting performances and several other duties involved with the leadership of the symphony. 

The position has launched the careers of now-internationally known Marin Alsop, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, who went on to lead the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Giancarlo Guerrero, a six-time Grammy winner.

Miller began the evening by introducing the audience to Tarrodi’s “Birds of Paradise.” She invited the audience to start the movement by imagining soaring in the sky side by side with plummeting birds. The sounds from the strings and winds softly crescendoed, imitating the rapid fluttering of wings paired with delicate chirps. 

Miller encouraged the audience to embrace a sense of “suspension” in the final act of the movement as moments of stillness paired with dynamic bursts of melodies encapsulated the relationship between tranquility and anticipation.

Following “Birds of Paradise” was the standout of the evening, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, with Harmony Zhu featured on the piano. Zhu’s playing and Miller’s conducting created a seamless, deeply connected relationship that was apparent throughout the movements. The musicians were attentive and clear, relying on each other just as the orchestra relied on the piano and vice versa. 

Piano Concerto No. 4 defies convention — rather than the orchestra opening boldly, the piano begins softly as if offering a private thought. This opening sets the tone for the rest of the concerto as the audience is prepared for the piece to defy expectations.

Throughout the piece, the piano encounters a tug-of-war match between the orchestra as there is a sense of conversation between the two. While the piano begins alone, the orchestra answers with an aggressive response as the strings radiate through the concert hall. Although the piano remained quiet and delicate, there was a feeling of power behind this delicacy. Each time the orchestra became prominent, the piano remained relentless as the audience was left with no choice but to root for the underdog. 

The final movement provides a sense of resolution — there was a feeling of joy in the exchange between the orchestra and the piano, serving as a celebratory release of the tension built up in the previous movements.

Miller’s direction of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 was a defiance of convention in and of itself. When Beethoven composed the concerto in the early 19th century, it was unfathomable that a woman would be conducting the piece. Now, over 200 years later, Miller stands as the only female candidate for the Eugene Symphony’s musical director, as she and the four other finalists conduct a Beethoven piano concerto.

The final piece of the evening was Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1. The piece opens with a haunting clarinet solo that creates a tone of longing and mystery, setting the stage for the dramatic melodies about to unfold. An engaging balance between the energetic strings and the interjections from the brass instruments made the piece a joyful and triumphant end to the evening. 

As the only female finalist for the role of music director, Miller not only showcased her exceptional artistry but also embodied the evolving landscape of classical music leadership. Her ability to bring each piece to life made her a stand-out candidate, leaving the Eugene community eagerly anticipating what her future with the symphony might hold.

The winner of the position is expected to be announced in the spring.