American clarinetist, Ashleé Miller, has been praised for her rich “color and imagination” [NPR]. She is an Alaskan and NYC based clarinetist and music theorist specializing in contemporary music performance.

Ashleé is currently the clarinetist and CEO of The Parhelion Trio, which has been praised by The Strad Magazine for their “effervescent” playing. Parhelion’s 2022-2023 season is highlighted by a performance at John Zorn’s iconic venue The Stone alongside Guggenheim recipient Lisa Bielawa. Parhelion’s opening season concert “not how we left this…” features the premiere of Tonia Ko’s evermore everyday, which was commissioned by the Barlow Foundation. Parhelion recently released their debut album Techno-Parade on multiple streaming platforms. In past seasons, Parhelion has been featured as a guest ensemble and collaborator alongside members of the Emerson String Quartet and Eighth Blackbird. Parhelion is the recipient of a New Music USA grant for their upcoming project Dark Matter: A Tribute to Vera Rubin.

Ashleé is also the clarinetist (+bass clarinetist) for Nu Deco Ensemble, a genre bending orchestra that regularly collaborates with recent R&B and Jazz Grammy winners and nominees. Collaborations have included: Anthony Hamilton, Angélique Kidjo, Derrick Hodge, Lawrence, Allen Stone, X Ambassadors, and Corey Wong. Nu Deco is set to release its first SONY Classical album in July 2023.

Ashleé serves on the faculties of Adelphi University and The Juilliard School’s MAP program. She also provides clarinet demonstrations for the NY Philharmonic educational programs: “The Composer’s Bridge Program,” “Young People’s Concerts” and “Very Young People’s Concerts” KidZones.  

As the winner of the 2005 North Carolina Soloist competition, Ashleé made her solo debut at the age of sixteen with the North Carolina Symphony on their opening tour. She was the first clarinetist to receive NPR’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist award, which includes: a $10,000 career grant, a performance on NPR’s “From the Top,” and a community art project sponsored by NPR. She has been featured on WDAV’s “In Person” and her performances have appeared on radio stations throughout the country. She has performed at many iconic venues, including: Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, National Sawdust, and Harpa. Her recordings have been released on Bandcamp, Centaur, and Partisan Record labels.

Ashleé is the former principal of the New York Youth Symphony and member of the Mannes Orchestra. She has held fellowships at the Bowdoin International Music festival and Sarasota Music Festival, and is an alumna of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. She received her high school diploma with a concentration in music from the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts and was awarded her Bachelor and Master Degrees from Mannes College of Music, graduating as student speaker, winning honors and the Lotte Pulvermacher-Egers Humanities Award. Ashleé received her Doctorate of Musical Arts from The Graduate Center CUNY with a dissertation on Charles Ives. She studied with legendary clarinetist Charles Neidich.

An advocate for Artist-as-Citizen projects, Ashleé volunteers her creative skills and time to help non-profits and educational programs around the globe. Recent collaborations include: Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery; Alaska Solstice Search Dogs; Columbia Prep School; and Global Exploration and Recovery. In June 2023, Ashleé travelled to Kulusuk, Greenland to perform and collaborate with Eastern Greenlandic communities.