The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance announces that Professor Eiji Miura will join the faculty as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Musical Theatre in fall 2023. Miura is a genre-fluid and versatile artist whose credits include opera, musical theatre, concert work, background vocals, and video game soundtracks. Miura’s interests in the field of vocal pedagogy are expansive and interdisciplinary, exploring vocal acoustics and psychoacoustics, linguistics, and habilitation and rehabilitation, among other areas.
“It is such a privilege to be joining a dynamic community like SMTD that is devoted to steadfastly pursuing innovation, justice, and excellence—all in service of guiding the future generations of global artist-citizens,” Miura said. “I look forward to many years of being in community with SMTD faculty, staff, and students, for whom I already have deep admiration.”
A passionate advocate for centering justice in the classroom, studio, rehearsal room, and on stage, Miura seeks to create art and learning environments where all voices are respected and embraced—especially elevating communities that have historically been undermined, ignored, or silenced. He is regularly engaged as a consultant and lecturer on topics relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, specifically as it relates to the Asian diaspora in the United States. In recent years, he has worked for the Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, Rights of Harvard University (2020–22), served on the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Task Force for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and received funding through the Berklee College of Music’s Inclusive Teaching Grant to explore the integration of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into the voice studio to support neurodiversity-affirming practices. His work in this realm also extends to providing dramaturgical and cultural competency support to theatres and opera companies nationally as it pertains to the sensitive and accurate portrayal of Japanese people, language, and culture.
“We welcome Professor Miura to the department,” shared Michael McElroy, chair of the Department of Musical Theatre and Arthur E. and Martha S. Hearron Endowed Professor of Music. “He is a top voice pedagogue who brings a wealth of knowledge, vast experience, and a love of the musical theatre repertoire to his work.”
Prior to his appointment at SMTD, Miura was on faculty at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee where he taught studio voice and courses in lyric diction. He was part of the teaching staff for the summer Vocal/Choral Intensive for high school students and was the managing director of the Summer Opera Intensive at Valencia (Spain). Additional prior faculty appointments include: the Berklee College of Music, Boston University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and Clark University.
Miura holds a BA in East Asian studies and vocal performance and an MS in communications from Clark University, a certificate in Japanese language and culture studies from Kansai Gaidai University, and an MM in vocal performance and pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory.