Birmingham Royal Ballet CEO Caroline Miller Passes Away

Birmingham Royal Ballet has shared that their CEO Caroline Miller passed away on Sunday 15 December. 

Sir David Normington, Chair of Birmingham Royal Ballet said: ‘I speak on behalf of everyone at Birmingham Royal Ballet, in great sadness, as we announce the passing (after a long illness) of our Chief Executive Officer, Caroline Miller OBE. We are all totally devastated by her death and at a life cut-off in its prime. On a personal note I have lost not just a CEO, but a force of nature, an inspiration and a dear friend.’

Caroline was one of the brightest and most influential figures in the UK and international dance scene, receiving the de Valois award for Outstanding Achievement from the National Dance Awards in 2015, and was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to the arts. She brought vision and energy to her role, and helped reaffirm BRB’s position as one of the world’s great ballet companies. She championed the appointment in 2020 of Carlos Acosta CBE as the company’s Director.

Caroline first came to prominence in the arts world as an outstanding and passionate Press Officer at the Southbank Centre then at Sadler’s Wells. She became a keen supporter of dance, and after periods at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, and at Phaidon Books, she later led Dance UK as Chief Executive. Over ten years, she redefined Dance UK, making it the ‘go-to’ place offering support to the entire UK dance industry, seeing through its merger with ADAD, Youth Dance England, and the National Dance Teachers Association, to become One Dance UK in 2015, facilitating its relocation to Birmingham in 2019.

Before joining Birmingham Royal Ballet in January 2018, Caroline was Executive Director of Orlando Ballet in Florida. She will be sorely missed by all. Our thoughts and prayers go to her family, wide circle of friends, and colleagues who remember her with huge affection.

Carlos Acosta said: ‘I am lost for words and utterly saddened at the passing of our dear CEO, valued colleague and friend, Caroline Miller, as is the entire Company and indeed beyond, throughout the dance industry. To say she was a leading light is an understatement – she brought fantastic energy, sound advice, vision and good humour to everything she did.

‘I worked very closely with Caroline on a daily basis leading the BRB team and I will miss this hugely.

‘Her unparalleled support contributed immeasurably to the many successes BRB has enjoyed internationally since I became Director in 2020: reaching record numbers of audiences, touring to countries entirely new to BRB, producing the hugely successful Black Sabbath – The Ballet and standing proudly on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, and so very much more.

‘On behalf of all of us at BRB I give heartfelt thanks for her unbridled enthusiasm, dedication and loyalty. She will be remembered with much fondness by all.’

During Caroline’s tenure at BRB, the Company recruited Carlos Acosta as Director and was the first company to commission new ballets during covid (Lazuli Sky and Don Quixote). During the pandemic BRB was also the first company to go on tour and perform live in a ticketed theatre (The REP and Sadler’s Wells) and was the only company in the world to live-stream a full production of The Nutcracker. Another highlight of Caroline’s tenure was the commissioning, and world premiere, of Black Sabbath - The Ballet, as well as the £1 million refurbishment of Sir Peter Wright’s sumptuous production of The Nutcracker.

Caroline Miller OBE joined Birmingham Royal Ballet as Interim Chief Executive Officer for 12 months and was appointed permanent CEO in December 2018. Caroline previously served as Executive Director of Orlando Ballet in the USA. Before that, she spent ten years as the Director of One Dance UK, which was the national body representing the professional dance sector. During her tenure she worked closely with dance science experts to establish the first National Institute of Dance Medicine & Science, for which she was recognised in the 2014 Evening Standard list of the 1,000 most influential Londoners. In January 2016 Caroline was awarded the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. In January 2017 she was awarded an OBE for Services to the Arts in the Queen's New Year's Honours.

There will be a book of condolence at BRB's Thorp Street reception (9.30am – 4pm, from Tuesday 17 December to Friday 20 December and from 6 January) or if you would like to share your thoughts via email, send them to inmemory@brb.org.uk.

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