Meet the Artistic Team

Grammy Award-winning conductor David Alan Miller has established a reputation as one of the leading American conductors of his generation. Music Director of the Albany Symphony since 1992, Mr. Miller has proven himself a creative and compelling orchestra builder. Through exploration of unusual repertoire, educational programming, community outreach and recording initiatives, he has reaffirmed the Albany Symphony’s reputation as the nation’s leading champion of American symphonic music and one of its most innovative orchestras. He and the orchestra have twice appeared at "Spring For Music," an annual festival of America's most creative orchestras at New York City's Carnegie Hall. Other accolades include Columbia University’s 2003 Ditson Conductor’s Award, the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to American music, the 2001 ASCAP Morton Gould Award for Innovative Programming and, in 1999, ASCAP’s first-ever Leonard Bernstein Award for Outstanding Educational Programming.

Frequently in demand as a guest conductor, Mr. Miller has worked with most of America’s major orchestras, including the orchestras of Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Francisco, as well as the New World Symphony, the Boston Pops and the New York City Ballet. In addition, he has appeared frequently throughout Europe, Australia and the Far East as guest conductor. He made his first guest appearance with the BBC Scottish Symphony in March, 2014.

Mr. Miller received his Grammy Award in January, 2014 for his Naxos recording of John Corigliano's "Conjurer," with the Albany Symphony and Dame Evelyn Glennie. His extensive discography also includes recordings of the works of Todd Levin with the London Symphony Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon, as well as music by Michael Daugherty, Kamran Ince, and Michael Torke for London/Decca, and of Luis Tinoco for Naxos. His recordings with the Albany Symphony include discs devoted to the music of John Harbison, Roy Harris, Morton Gould, Don Gillis, Peter Mennin, and Vincent Persichetti on the Albany Records label.

A native of Los Angeles, David Alan Miller holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from The Juilliard School. Prior to his appointment in Albany, Mr. Miller was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. From 1982 to 1988, he was Music Director of the New York Youth Symphony, earning considerable acclaim for his work with that ensemble. Mr. Miller lives with his wife and three children in Slingerlands, New York.

Craig Shemin has been the writer of the LOS KIDS concert series since its inception in 2015, and took on directing chores in 2019, after the departure of Katherine M. Carter. Shemin’s previous contributions to Little Orchestra Society include scripts for Hansel and Gretel, Babes in Toyland, and Four Seasons: A Spinning Planet. Shemin began his career with a 14-year stint with The Jim Henson Company, the creators of the Muppets.

He created and wrote The Disney Channel's successful interstitial series, Lou and Lou: Safety Patrol, and wrote the Emmy-nominated Tasty Time with ZeFronk, also for Disney.

In 2021, he directed four Spookley the Square Pumpkin specials, which can be seen on YouTube and DisneyNow. His other credits include Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dora and Friends: Into the City, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Abby Hatcher, Telling Stories with Tomie DePaola, Donna's Day, Oobi, and Gullah Gullah Island. He also co-wrote (with his wife, writer and Tony-nominated performer Stephanie D'Abruzzo) two episodes of Rory's Place for The Learning Channel. Shemin's work on The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss earned him a Writer's Guild of America Award nomination.

In the world of long form, Shemin wrote Dick Cavett Ruined My Life, winner of the Writer's Network Screenwriting competition. The Green Room, a play about the early years of television, has had several readings in New York City. His play, Panophobia, was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference.

Mr. Shemin serves as President of the Jim Henson Legacy, a non-profit organization devoted to preserving the work of Jim Henson. He produced video content for the permanent Henson exhibits at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta and Museum of the Moving Image in New York and is guest curator for the ongoing World of Jim Henson screening series at Museum of the Moving Image. He produced and directed an award-winning behind the scenes documentary about Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, for the holiday classic's special edition DVD and produced the documentary that accompanied the Smithsonian Institution touring museum exhibition, Jim Henson's Fantastic World.

While he is currently developing his own projects, he continues to occasionally write for Henson's characters. He wrote the script for the sold-out 2012 New York Pops concert, Jim Henson's Musical World, at Carnegie Hall, and for New Zealand’s 2018 Jim Henson Retrospectacle in Concert, featuring Bret McKenzie, the Muppets, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He also co-wrote The Muppets Kitchen, an online cooking show featuring Cat Cora. He is the author of Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson’s First Television Show, The Muppets Character Encyclopedia, and assisted Miss Piggy with her cookbook, In the Kitchen With Miss Piggy.

A lifetime member of the WGA-East, Craig executive produced New York's WGA Awards show for three years. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, a member of BMI, The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and The Dramatists Guild.

Kevin Zak is an actor and writer originally from Buffalo, NY. The Little Orchestra Society is a wonderful organization and I hope you all attend their many exciting and funny programs!

NYC based actor, singer, and artist originally from San Diego, CA. She has her MFA in acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Gracie can be found performing her ever-evolving one woman cabaret show “Say Goodnight, Gracie” at renowned cabaret theaters around the city including historic music venues such as The Bitter End. To find out more about Gracie check out www.gracieleebrown.com or follow her on Instagram @saygoodnightgracielee to keep up with future show dates and her original artwork!