About Me
Praised for having "... demonstrated his talents through expressive and authentic interpretations in music... [he] possesses highly sensitive ears that allow him to communicate his music in diverse tone colors..." (Yoon-Wha Roh, pianist) and having the strong artistic qualities "... to create, to connect, to express, and to bring people together..." (Aaron Agulay, baritone) Miles Andrew Sutton (he/him) has performed across North America and Europe. These have included concerts at the Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall, The Betsy Art Gallery of Miami, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Spokane Public Radio, the Nichols Concert Hall, Ganz Hall, Pyatt Hall, Museo d'Arte Sacra di San Giovanni degli Agostiniani, and the Whyte Recital Hall of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. His efforts as a solo pianist have allowed him to garner top prizes at international music competitions and prompted invitations to international music festivals. As a collaborative pianist, Miles has supported professional organizations such as the Chicago Master Singers, Thompson Street Opera Company, the Villages Philharmonic Chorale, and the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Centre. In the world of higher education, he has served at the University of Iowa as a vocal coach and collaborative pianist playing for student recitals, master classes, guest artist recitals, and was a rehearsal and audition pianist for the Theatre Department. Sutton acted as a Teaching Assistant at Washington State University and was the Treble Choir accompanist, the Concert Choir accompanist, collaborator for student recitals, and instructor of class piano.
As a chamber musician, Miles Andrew Sutton is a founding member of the Dickinson Ensemble which is dedicated to performing music inspired by Emily Dickinson. He appears on the album “Emily Sings,” (purchase the album here) which is comprised of newly composed works by Oak Park native, Donald Skoog. The Dickinson Ensemble was received enthusiastically after an invitation to perform at the Emily Dickinson International Society Conference at Amherst College. Having collaborated with flutists since he began the piano, he is a founding member of two flute and piano duos. The TraverSura Duo, with long-time friend and colleague, Nathalie Simper, aims to highlight the music of underrepresented composers. The duo was invited to perform at the Florida Flute Association Convention with programs titled “Colores Latinos,” “Women of Our time,” and “In Remembrance of the Holocaust.” The TraverSura Duo has also performed, given masterclasses, and been guest career panelists at Florida State University, the University of Florida, the University of North Florida, Stetson University, and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The Duo was invited to teach, coach, and perform at the Stetson Flute Workshop hosted at Stetson University. Duo AnaMile is a Europe-based flute and piano duo with Cypriot flutist, Anastasia Motiti. The duo is currently in the process of recording substantial chamber works for flute and piano. Music coaches have included Irish flutists William Dowdall (former principal flute of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra) and Ríona Ó Duinnín (Associate Principal Flute of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra). Additional work has been done with Lance Coburn (Royal Irish Academy of Music), Daniela Troiani (Conservatorio di Musica “Stanislao Giacomantonio” of Cosenza Italy), Sophia Tegart (Washington State University), and Karen Hsiao Savage (UMKC - Conservatory).
In the world of New Music, Miles has premiered works by composers, Mark Shilov, Donald Skoog, Tony Manfredonia, Demi Nicks, Maggie Nicks, and Zoë Austin Wallace. These collaborations have yielded 2nd Prize at the 3rd Annual Chicago songSLAM, an appearance in the first complete performance of the chamber opera “Ghost Variations” filmed with Thompson Street Opera Company of Chicago, features on the Festival of Contemporary Art Music (FOCAM) hosted by WSU, features on the "Sounds New" series at Stetson University, and appearances on Student Composer Concerts at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
Miles is a Recital Artist Diploma Candidate at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, Ireland. He earned his Master of Arts in Music degree from Washington State University and his Bachelor of Music degree from Stetson University. Professional and artistic mentors include Maria McGarry (Royal Irish Academy of Music), Yoon-Wha Roh (Washington State University), Miko Kominami (Murasaki Duo), Dr. Michael Rickman (Stetson University), Dr. Gary Wolf (UCF), and Jon Sarta (Disney World). Sutton was invited to participate in the Vancouver Piano Sessions’s inaugural class, the Lunigiana International Music Festival, the Borromeo Music Festival, and the Miami Classical Music Festival where he was a featured soloist and chamber musician and had the opportunity to work with Alexandre Moutouzkine (MSM), Anton Nel (UT - Austin), Daniel Shapiro (CIM), Angela Cheng (Oberlin Conservatory), Jean-Louis Haguenauer (Indiana University), Wayne Weng (UBC), and Michael Esch (University of Toronto). Master class instructors have included: Ian Jones (RCM), Steven Spooner (Peabody Conservatory), Boris Slutsky (Yale University), Daniel Shapiro (CIM), Nina Scolnik (UC - Irvine), Jeremy Samolesky (Auburn University), Read Gainsford (FSU), Heidi Williams (FSU), and the late Norma Mastrogiacomo (FSU).
Oboe studies ran parallel with Miles’s piano studies. While earning his degrees in piano, Miles was 2nd Oboe/English Horn with the Stetson University Symphonic Orchestra, a section oboist with the Stetson University Symphonic Band, and English Horn Soloist with Stetson University Women’s Chorale. Professionally, Miles has acted as an Oboist and English Hornist for musical theatre orchestras, contracted orchestras, and as a soloist with choral ensembles. He has taught oboe through the Orchestra Iowa School and Carlow College of Music in Ireland. Oboe instructors have included Keri E. McCarthy (Washington State University), Dione Chandler (Stetson University), Ann Adams Valle (Bach Festival Society Orchestra), and a masterclass with Eric Ohlsson (FSU and Brevard Music Center).
Miles maintains a small private studio of competitive pianists. He teaches in person in Chicago, IL and Dublin, Ireland. He maintains an active virtual studio reaching students across the US and Ireland.