Colorado University Athletics
Coach Brian Cabral and Keith Miller at the Music HOF induction ceremony.
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Football Alum Miller Inducted Into Colorado Music Hall of Fame
July 01, 2024 | Football, General, Alumni C Club
The “Kid From Ovid” Turned From Fullback Into Opera Star
CENTRAL CITY — Keith Miller, who hailed from the small town of Ovid, where the family farm was just a couple of miles from the Nebraska border in northeast Colorado, was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame here Saturday night.
A former letterman at fullback for the University of Colorado football team from 1993-96, he blocked for Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam in 1994 and also was an upback on the punt team; the Buffs were 39-8-1 during his time on the team, including four wins in as many bowl games.
His path to enshrinement into the state's Music Hall of Fame? Opera. How did a kid from a small town that numbered maybe 200 in population and who played 6-man football at nearby Revere High School become interested in opera?
At CU, he was majoring in Fine Arts – as a sophomore in 1994, after the game deemed the "Miracle in Michigan," (where CU won 27-26 on the now famous 64-yard touchdown as time ran out), he took a date to see the Phantom of the Opera. "It was my first experience seeing something like that, and it moved me so much, I decided I had to learn," he recalled. Also enticed by hearing Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" in the movie Diehard, he went to CU's music library to listen to his 9th (La bohéme) and other classics and his interest peaked.
Miller alluded to the fact that the first song that he really had the experience of singing was CU's fight song during freshman initiation, where the varsity made all the newcomers stand on a chair and sing by themselves.
He realized he had a deep baritone voice singing karaoke, but didn't pursue it as a vocation until after his playing days in Europe and in arena football in the United States. It led him down a path where in 2006, he would graduate from the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, where he relocated (and has remained until this August, when he plans on moving back to Colorado).
After he graduated from the AVA, he was invited to join New York's Metropolitan Opera. He made his debut in the 2006-07 opera season in the late 19th century three-act classic, Madama Butterfly, for Academy Award-winning director Anthony Minghella. That started an incredible run for "the kid from Ovid" with the Met, where he was a principal artist. He appeared in approximately 350 performances over the next 18 seasons. Along the way, he became an in-demand performer at several opera companies around the nation, but always returned to his native Colorado to perform with Opera Colorado and Opera Fort Collins.
He became close friends with the Zimmers, who were heavily involved in opera in the state; when Larry received the Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation in 2009, they invited Keith to attend the ceremony in New York City. He reciprocated by giving them a backstage tour of the Met. When Larry passed away in January, one of his last requests was for Keith to sing at his memorial service; he arrived the night before and learned four songs in a short time and performed all perfectly the next morning.
"Being selected for the Colorado Music Hall of Fame was one of the most humbling experiences of my life," Miller said. "I have had the privilege of being advised by some of the best people in the world, starting with people from my CU family – Coach (Brian) Cabral, Coach (Bill) McCartney, Dave Plati, Mike Glynn, Coach (Ben) Gregory, Dave Plettl, and Larry and Brigitte Zimmer. Then there are my coaches and teachers from AVA, my mom and dad, Rhonda and David McCay, and most of all, my amazing wife Karen and our children Sophia, Jake and Josephine." Cabral, who coached Miller on special teams, was in attendance.
"I was given opportunities in my life that I was so fortunate to have been given, and I hope that in some small way, my work would pay tribute to the chance all of these people took on me," he added. "There were so many people that took me under their wing and guided me. I am humbled and honored to be selected for this prestigious recognition in the state I truly call home. I cannot thank the Hall and its Board of Directors for this unbelievable honor."
The induction ceremonies took place in Central City's Teller and Opera houses; also inducted were Cynthia Lawrence, John Moriarty and the Central City Opera House itself as a venue. Watch Keith's acceptance speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfU2Ix78AOY.
A former letterman at fullback for the University of Colorado football team from 1993-96, he blocked for Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam in 1994 and also was an upback on the punt team; the Buffs were 39-8-1 during his time on the team, including four wins in as many bowl games.
His path to enshrinement into the state's Music Hall of Fame? Opera. How did a kid from a small town that numbered maybe 200 in population and who played 6-man football at nearby Revere High School become interested in opera?
At CU, he was majoring in Fine Arts – as a sophomore in 1994, after the game deemed the "Miracle in Michigan," (where CU won 27-26 on the now famous 64-yard touchdown as time ran out), he took a date to see the Phantom of the Opera. "It was my first experience seeing something like that, and it moved me so much, I decided I had to learn," he recalled. Also enticed by hearing Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" in the movie Diehard, he went to CU's music library to listen to his 9th (La bohéme) and other classics and his interest peaked.
Miller alluded to the fact that the first song that he really had the experience of singing was CU's fight song during freshman initiation, where the varsity made all the newcomers stand on a chair and sing by themselves.
He realized he had a deep baritone voice singing karaoke, but didn't pursue it as a vocation until after his playing days in Europe and in arena football in the United States. It led him down a path where in 2006, he would graduate from the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, where he relocated (and has remained until this August, when he plans on moving back to Colorado).
After he graduated from the AVA, he was invited to join New York's Metropolitan Opera. He made his debut in the 2006-07 opera season in the late 19th century three-act classic, Madama Butterfly, for Academy Award-winning director Anthony Minghella. That started an incredible run for "the kid from Ovid" with the Met, where he was a principal artist. He appeared in approximately 350 performances over the next 18 seasons. Along the way, he became an in-demand performer at several opera companies around the nation, but always returned to his native Colorado to perform with Opera Colorado and Opera Fort Collins.
He became close friends with the Zimmers, who were heavily involved in opera in the state; when Larry received the Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation in 2009, they invited Keith to attend the ceremony in New York City. He reciprocated by giving them a backstage tour of the Met. When Larry passed away in January, one of his last requests was for Keith to sing at his memorial service; he arrived the night before and learned four songs in a short time and performed all perfectly the next morning.
"Being selected for the Colorado Music Hall of Fame was one of the most humbling experiences of my life," Miller said. "I have had the privilege of being advised by some of the best people in the world, starting with people from my CU family – Coach (Brian) Cabral, Coach (Bill) McCartney, Dave Plati, Mike Glynn, Coach (Ben) Gregory, Dave Plettl, and Larry and Brigitte Zimmer. Then there are my coaches and teachers from AVA, my mom and dad, Rhonda and David McCay, and most of all, my amazing wife Karen and our children Sophia, Jake and Josephine." Cabral, who coached Miller on special teams, was in attendance.
"I was given opportunities in my life that I was so fortunate to have been given, and I hope that in some small way, my work would pay tribute to the chance all of these people took on me," he added. "There were so many people that took me under their wing and guided me. I am humbled and honored to be selected for this prestigious recognition in the state I truly call home. I cannot thank the Hall and its Board of Directors for this unbelievable honor."
The induction ceremonies took place in Central City's Teller and Opera houses; also inducted were Cynthia Lawrence, John Moriarty and the Central City Opera House itself as a venue. Watch Keith's acceptance speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfU2Ix78AOY.
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