BC’s nature inspires Juno nominee with ties to Powell River

When he was younger, Jared Miller would stay in Powell River for several weeks a year with his parents Stephen and Stephanie before they took up full-time residence in 2015. Being exposed to the beauty of the Sunshine Coast and other areas of BC was part of the inspiration for his Juno-nominated classical composition “Under Sea, Above Sky,” composed for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada’s 2019 tour.

“I was really inspired by the size of the National Youth Orchestra,” said Jared. “I wanted to explore the massiveness of the ensemble by creating really loud music and contrasting it with delicate and soft passages. I drew a parallel between the size of the orchestra and the planet Earth, which on one hand is massive and majestic, and on the other is increasingly fragile as climate change wreaks havoc.”

According to his parents, Jared fell in love with music from the time he could walk.

“His favourite movies as a child were Fantasia and Amadeus,” said Stephen. “In many ways we are Jared’s biggest fans, and we look forward to celebrating with him in Saskatoon later in March.”

The National Youth Orchestra nominated Jared for the award, but when he hadn’t heard anything by the middle of January, he assumed other composers had gotten the nod.

“I was getting ready to rehearse with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra when my dad texted me,” he said. “He told me to turn on CBC. I said ‘why?’ and he said ‘they’re announcing the Juno nominees.’

“I told him I couldn’t because I was in rehearsal, and he said ‘well, you’d better turn it on because you’re going to Saskatoon.’”

Jared said he didn’t believe his father until he was sent a picture of himself on television.

“I still didn’t believe him, and then I started getting texts from other people congratulating me, and then I realized it was real,” added Jared. “I had to rehearse and keep my cool, even though my phone was blowing up.”

Jared said he is not concerned about winning or losing during the ceremony March 14 and 15.

“I’ve looked up to some of the composers in my category for years,” he said. “Being nominated with them is an honour, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to spend a weekend hanging out with a lot of really amazing musicians.”

His parents are equally thrilled with his nomination.

“We are so excited that Jared has received this nomination,” said Stephanie. “It’s great if he wins, but the fact he’s been recognized for his work by a body of musicians is fantastic.”

Jared lives in New York City, having completed his masters and doctorate in musical arts at Julliard, but visits his parents in Powell River often.

“I’ve moved around a fair bit and so have my parents over the years, so it’s interesting thinking about the concept of home,” he said. “I live in New York and it’s my home. But even though I’ve never lived there myself, Powell River is where my parents live, so I always feel like I’m going home when I visit.

“I look forward to the quietness of nature that’s in Powell River; it’s very different from New York.”