In Memoriam: Miah Im, 1974-2021

Miah Im, director of opera studies at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas, died late last month, She was 47 years old and suffered from pancreatic cancer.

A Toronto native, Im 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.

Before joining the faculty at Rice University, Im was principal coach and conductor of the University of Toronto Opera School, music director of the University of Maryland Opera Studio, and head of music staff at the Los Angeles Opera, where she served as an assistant conductor and pianist.

Im came to Houston in 2020 to teach at Rice University and to serve as the studio music director for the Houston Grand Opera. “Miah exemplified everything the School hoped for in its director of opera studies,” said Robert Yekovich, former Shepherd School dean and the Elma Schneider Professor of Music. “She was a highly respected figure in the profession and a first-rate vocal coach, and had an encyclopedic command of the repertoire, a unique vision for where the program needed to be focused and a humane and gentle spirit. In slightly more than one year’s time, Miah’s impact on the opera program and Shepherd School was profound.”