Dear Rice Community,
We are writing to share the extremely sad news that Miah Im, Rice's dynamic director of opera studies, passed away Sept. 30 after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 47.
Miah was celebrated in the opera world for her depth of experience, commitment to developing young artists and generous and supportive nature to peers and performers alike. A Toronto native, she attended the University of Michigan and received an undergraduate degree in piano performance with a minor in Italian and a master of music degree in collaborative piano and chamber music.
Miah joined Rice and the Houston Grand Opera as its studio music director in 2020 amid an unprecedented global pandemic that shuttered performance venues across the country. Under normal circumstances, her inaugural Rice production, "Der Kaiser von Atlantis," would have been one of the first performances before a live audience in the newly constructed Brockman Hall for Opera. Instead, keeping with COVID-19 restrictions, she spearheaded a virtual production, a historic first for the Shepherd School.
Prior to her appointment at the Shepherd School, Miah was head of music staff at the Los Angeles Opera, where she served as an assistant conductor and pianist. She previously held positions as principal coach and conductor of the University of Toronto Opera School, music director of the University of Maryland Opera Studio and San Diego Opera Young Artists Ensemble, and co-music director of the Concert Artists program for the Oberlin in Italy program. She was also on the opera faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where she taught, performed and served as principal coach and chorus master. She coached and conducted at the Royal College of Music in London and worked with the Jette Parker Young Artists at the Royal Opera House.
Miah had more than 80 operas in her repertoire, and she served on the music staffs for Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Ravinia Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Juilliard School and the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy. She also collaborated with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Taiwan Philharmonic and worked in South Korea with the Seoul Arts Center and at the Daegu Opera House as its principal coach and assistant conductor.
Although she was not at Rice long, Miah’s impact on students, faculty and staff was great. She will be missed for her warmth, kindness, energy and musicianship. She is survived by her mother, Soo Hi; her partner, Christopher Scott; and Scott's son, Ethan. Memorial service arrangements are pending.
Read more about Miah and her accomplishments at Rice in Rice News.
Kind regards,
David Leebron, President
Reginald DesRoches, Howard Hughes Provost