Randy Miller Awarded 2021 Governor's Arts Awards for Folk Heritage

On October 26, 2021, the Governor's Arts Awards recipients were celebrated during the first-ever streaming edition of the awards ceremony filmed at Studio Lab in Derry. The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, in cooperation with the Governor's Office, biennially takes the opportunity to publicly acknowledge and recognize outstanding contributions to the state’s arts and cultural life made by individuals, organizations and communities through the presentation of the Governor's Arts Awards. 

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts is pleased to announce Randy Miller as the recipient of the 2021 Governor's Arts Awards in Folk Heritage. The Folk Heritage Award "recognizes a New Hampshire traditional folk artist who has made a significant contribution to his or her art form and the cultural community, reflecting a lifetime of achievement." The 2021 Folk Heritage Award was sponsored by Sanborn Mills Farm.

Randy Miller is a New Hampshire treasure. Musician, artist, publisher, teacher, preservationist, and historian, Randy has made singular contributions to the preservation of the musical, historical, and artistic traditions of New Hampshire. He has played fiddle, piano, and accordion for contra dances for over 45 years and toured nationally and internationally, bringing New England dance music to the world. Moreover, he has been a welcoming mentor to other musicians, leading jam sessions at Irish pubs and participating in the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts’ Traditional Artist Apprenticeship program, sharing his knowledge to guide young musicians. Lately, he has taken to YouTube and Facebook, recording traditional music and stories to reach new audiences. 

Photo: Randy Miller and DNCR Commissioner Stewart at the GAA's. Photo by Abbigail Saffian.

New England Chestnuts, recordings made in the early 1980s with his brother, Rodney, are part of Randy’s story of saving and promoting traditional New Hampshire dance music. These recording are a touchstone for many musicians today, both young and old, and inspired Randy’s “tunebooks.” The New England Fiddler’s Repertoire, first published in 1983 and revised and reissued 25 years later, is the bible of traditional dance musicians. It contains the tunes that many people think of as definitive of New England-style contra dancing, which was in danger of being lost in the 1960s and 1970s and is a big part of the story of saving this musical tradition from obscurity. Randy’s other tune collections — Irish Traditional Fiddle Music, in collaboration with Jack Perron, and The Fiddler's Throne — have recorded, with amazing fidelity, the rich heritage of Irish and American fiddle music in New England. The Fiddler's Throne includes tunes by 18th and 19th century New England composers as well as original compositions, making clear the continuity and deep resources of the tradition.

His career, spanning the decades, makes him a living link to New Hampshire’s music and dance heritage. This year, the Ralph Page Weekend Dance Committee, a group whose mission is to preserve and promote the dance traditions of New Hampshire, chose Randy as featured presenter at its virtual gathering. His intimate knowledge of the callers and musicians who sparked the contra dance revival in New Hampshire made him the obvious choice. Over 250 people attended this virtual celebration of NH dance heritage to hear Randy share his recollections and the music that inspired him.