Leanne Freeman-Miller
soprano

Leanne Freeman-Miller, soprano, is an Associate Professor of Voice at Drake University, teaching studio voice, vocal pedagogy, and Italian & German diction. 

In May 2006, she received the Madelyn Levitt Teacher of the Year award, Drake's highest honor awarded to faculty for teaching. Ms. Freeman-Miller has appeared frequently as a soloist with many performing groups in the Midwest region in oratorio and opera.

She was the soprano soloist for Stephen Paulus' To Be Certain of the Dawn at the Des Moines Civic Center, and has also appeared on the Salisbury House Chamber Music series, Onstage at the Des Moines Art Center, and has extensive musical theatre experience in both performing and musical direction. Music directing credits at Drake include Cabaret, Bare, and A Little Night Music, opening in November.

An active recitalist, Ms. Freeman-Miller and her accompanist, Michelle Havlik-Jergens, have performed numerous recitals locally, regionally and nationally, including venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, Texas, Seattle, Washington, and San Diego, California. Their compact disc, "Letters from the Garden," recorded in 2010, features contemporary repertoire by female composers. Ms. Freeman-Miller traveled to Shanghai, China in 2009 as a soloist with the Bravura Orchestra, New Jersey, and performed at the internationally acclaimed Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

She recently received a grant to sing and study in China with her colleagues and students in June, performing and working with students at Hebei Normal University and Central Nationalities University in Beijing. She has twice been a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, national honorary music society.

Ms. Freeman-Miller is also a renowned teacher in the region. Her students are frequent winners of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competitions, Quad Cities Opera Young Artist Competition, and have been semi-finalists in the Singer of the Year Competition, sponsored by Shreveport Opera.

Two former students have been members of the internationally famous male a cappella ensemble, Chanticleer. She is currently Governor of the District NATS Chapter and is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician.