Deborah as singer

Deborah Miles-Johnson was born in London and studied at the Royal College of Music as a flautist, pianist and singer, before joining the BBC Singers and travelling all over the world with them, broadcasting regularly on the radio.

After leaving the BBC Singers to pursue a solo career, she has worked frequently with other small choirs including The Sixteen, Tallis Scholars and the Taverner Choir. She now fulfils a busy and varied career in opera, oratorio and the contemporary repertoire, working with such international conductors as Boulez, Berio, Rattle, Davies and Jane Glover.

Engagements in recent seasons include Stravinsky's Requiem Canticles which she has performed with both Sir Simon Rattle (CBSO) and Sir Andrew Davies (BBCSO), The Dream of Gerontius with the New Queen's Hall Orchestra under Matthew Best, Mendelssohn's Elijah in Toronto, Mozart's Mass in C minor at the Barbican and Cheltenham Town Hall, Verdi's Requiem at St George's Chapel, Windsor and Tewkesbury Abbey, and Vivaldi's Gloria at the Albert Hall. Her performance of El Amor Brujo by De Falla with the New London Chamber Orchestra under Ronald Corp was broadcast by Classic FM.

At the 2001 Proms she performed Haydn's Creation Mass with Andrew Parrott and the London Mozart Players following a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in the Fairfield Halls, Croydon. She also toured Spain, Istanbul, Salzburg and Japan with the English Concert performing Bach's St Matthew Passion, a work she has performed at the prestigious Bachwoche with Parrott and the Norsk Barokkorkester. She has visited Brazil with The Sixteen and took the lead role in Handel's Il Parnasso in Festa for the London Handel Society which was broadcast by the BBC. She has performed several times with the Northern Sinfonia in Handel's Messiah and Beethoven's Mass in C.

A regular performer of the contemporary repertoire, Deborah has just taken the part of Carolina in Henze's Elegy for Young Lovers at short notice for a broadcast by Radio France. She performed Proença by John Buller for the BBC with the BBCSO under Rumon Gamba. She premiered in Brian Elias's Laments with the BBCSO under Otaka which was well received at the Cheltenham Festival. Other performances include Jean Barraque's ...au dela du hasard with Klangforum in Vienna, Satyagraha by Philip Glass at the Festival Hall and one of the secretaries in the first London performance of Nixon in China by John Adams with Kent Nagano and the LSO. She made her Wigmore Hall debut performing Upon Silence by George Benjamin with the viol group Fretwork following performances in Geneva.

Among her commercial recordings are Arvo Pärt's Stabat Mater, Maxwell Davies' Resurrection, and Carl Rütti's Magnificat for ASV. A regular performer of Rütti's music, she performed the world premieres of his Stabat Mater at St Johns Smith Square and the Magnificat at the 1999 Proms. She has recorded Betty Doxy in the Britten/Gay arrangement of The Beggars Opera and one of the Converse in the EMI recording of Suor Angelica. Deborah has performed several times at Haddo House in Aberdeen, most recently in Handel's Jephthah but also in Eugene Onegin, Die Fledermaus and Mrs. Sedley in Peter Grimes - a role she also sang for Richard Hickox. Other operatic roles include Mme. Popova in The Bear by Walton at the Thaxted Festival, the part of the Old Baroness in the British premiere of Samuel Barber's Vanessa and Mind over Matter for European Chamber Opera.

Deborah has performed at the Wexford Festival and is a member of the extra chorus at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden where she has performed in Die Meistersinger and Parsifal by Wagner, I Masnadieri by Verdi and Hamlet by Thomas.

She has taken part in many film recordings including Star Wars, Sleepy Hollow, Treasure Planet, Die Another Day and Lord of the Rings, on which she had a solo.

Deborah as conductor and choir trainer

Deborah has been conducting since leaving college.

The Imperial Male Voice Choir was formed in 1979, winning many competitions in the early years. Now they perform concerts twice a year and are about to record their third CD.

They sing a wide range of music: baroque, folksongs, Victorian, opera and music from the shows including a Gershwin medley arranged especially for them by Deborah.

They have recently recorded a 3rd CD, had two highly successful concerts in Switzerland in 2004 and came 4th in the International Male Voice Choir Competition in Cornwall

Operatic Societies. Deborah has conducted various college and local society performances usually with orchestra. 1985 & 1996 The Sorcerer 1986 The Mikado 1987 The Grand Duchess 1988 Ruddigore 1999 La Perichole 2000 Aida and La Boheme concert performances (with piano)

BBC Symphony Chorus. In 1995 Deborah was invited by the BBC to be the vocal coach for the Symphony Chorus. This prestigious appointment led to helping their musical director, Stephen Jackson with their late night Prom where they performed a number of challenging works. She has also been their chorus master on occasions - notably Stravinsky's Mass at very short notice. She and the chorus received excellent reviews for the Proms 2003 performance of Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe which she prepared for Yan Pascal Tortelier. She has taken many rehearsals to help prepare the chorus for Tippett's extremely challenging The Vision of St Augustine at this year's Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Philharmonia Chorus. This led to her appointment as Associate Chorus Master of the Philharmonia Chorus in 1999.

She has prepared many works with them including Mahler 2 & 8, Verdi Requiem, Bruckner Mass, Berlioz Requiem, Missa Solemnis for various conductors including Sir Colin Davis, Sir Simon Rattle and Valery Gergiev. She has also prepared lighter programmes - in concert with Lesley Garrett and Classic Spectaculars at the Royal Albert Hall. This summer Deborah toured with them to Montepulciano and Bologna in Italy for four performances of the Mozart Requiem for the festival.

Berkshire Choral Festival. Deborah is a regular visitor to Canterbury where she partakes in the annual Berkshire Choral Festival. She is much sought after for her teaching, alto sectionals and general contribution to the work in preparation. She recently travelled to Boston, Mass where she conducted a highly successful workshop for the Newton Community Chorus