In our sixth episode, we talk with Philip Miller, an activist composer from South Africa, whose whole career has integrated social justice with collaborative music projects. His newest work, NKOLI: The Vogue-Opera, profiles the life and work of Simon Nkoli, a gay anti-apartheid activist who was instrumental in securing civil rights for the LGBTQ community in South Africa and other African countries. Miller shares about the influence his family and identity had on his development as an activist, and the importance of making connections across the many forms of racial superiority and oppression that operate in our society. As a white, Jewish, gay man, Miller describes how he collaborates with Black South African to amplify their voices and raise awareness about their experiences. Miller makes beautiful connections between musical resonance and emotional resonance, and describes how music can help us integrate the unworded enormity of systemic oppression.
Philip Miller (b.1964) is a South African composer and sound artist. His work is influenced by a range of musical genres, from contemporary electronic music and minimalism to South African choral and instrumental music. His works and collaborations cross various media, from live stage performance and film to video and sound installations, and contemporary dance. Much of his work explores aural histories and testimonies found in both public and his own personal archives. He has composed over 80 scores for both the big and small screen which have earned prestigious awards and accolades, including an Emmy nomination for HBO’s "The Girl" and several other awards and nominations for best scores - like “The Book of Negroes" for CBC television, "The Bang Bang Club", the Emmy award-winning "Shot-Down", "Black Butterfly" and BBC’s "Seven –Up".

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This episode was produced by hannah rubin.