Concertmaster
Erica Miller
Erica Miller was born to a musical family in Queens, NYC and began her music education at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College at the age of 3. She attended high school at New York's famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, and subsequently attained her Bachelor's degree in violin performance from the Schulich School of music at McGill University where she studied with Tom Williams. She has also studied privately with Denise Lupien and Juliette Kang. Upon moving to Philadelphia in 2006, Erica quickly became a first call player on the freelance scene and was appointed principal second Violin of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, Philly Pops, in addition to being assistant concertmaster of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra 2001.
An in-demand player on the Philadelphia session and Broadway scene, she has played dozens of Broadway shows, sessions for (among others) Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Black Eyed Peas, and has performed live with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan, Earth Wind and Fire, and Johnny Mathis. Since relocating to Eastern Ontario in 2017 Miller plays regularly with the National Arts Center Orchestra, and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, knitting, cooking, and baking.
Erica was selected for the position of Ottawa Symphony Concertmaster & Artistic Planning Committee Chair in March of 2021.
Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Brown, Past Concertmaster
Praised for her “ability to unfold bittersweet magic” (Rhein Main Presse) and “perfect command of her instrument” (Florsheim Zeitung), Canadian violinist Mary-Elizabeth Brown enjoys a busy schedule as a chamber musician, recitalist and concertmaster. In recent seasons, she has toured as a soloist in Europe, Asia, North and South America, and has appeared at the Festival Campos do Jordao (Brazil), Mozarteum Uruguay, The White House (USA), the Aldeburgh Festival (UK), Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, Indian River Festival, Elora Festival and Banff Summer Arts Festival (Canada).
The Ottawa Symphony is grateful for Mary-Elizabeth’s significant contributions as Concertmaster from 2017-2020. In addition to her phenomenal work as a performer and orchestral leader, Mary-Elizabeth was integral to the development of the OSO’s highly successful 3D StringTheory project in 2018.
The Ottawa Symphony would also like to recognize the generous contribution of Shneur Bielak (pictured below), President of Neoteric Developments, who funded the OSO Concertmaster chair for two seasons.
