Aaron McMillan
Aaron McMillan (11 February 1977 – 14 May 2007) was an Australian classical pianist.
He attended Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School in Middle Cove, New South Wales, near Sydney. A keen basketballer, at age 15 he captained his local basketball team to a state championship and was named most valuable player. He hoped to gain selection in the national basketball team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. After an injury during training forced his departure from the sport, he then moved to his next passion, music.[citation needed]
He continued piano studies with
In addition to performing, he became an entrepreneur. He organised and financed many of his own concerts and recordings, but also set up a company called "Wayfarer" to promote other musicians. He organised a concert at the Sydney Town Hall where 20 Australian composers performed their own works - these included Dulcie Holland, Miriam Hyde and Elena Kats-Chernin.[citation needed]
As an adult his other love was cricket. He coached other players and through the game he met Gavin Robertson and Steve Waugh, and Tim Farriss from INXS, who all became his friends.
In 2001, McMillan was diagnosed with
McMillan performed solo at the
He died on 14 May 2007 at St Vincent's Hospital. Just three days prior to his death, at his hospital bedside, he was awarded a Mo Award for services to the entertainment industry.[2]
Family
His parents, Brian McMillan, and Gail née Robinson, met on a meditation retreat. Soon after Aaron's birth, his father left to become a Buddhist monk in Thailand, and did not see his son again until he was 15. In the meantime, the marriage was dissolved, and his mother married Giles Puckett, and they had two additional children. Aaron, an only child, gained two siblings. Aaron was influenced by his grandparents' Roman Catholicism, by Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy, by his father's Buddhism, and other spiritual ideas.[3]
Awards
Mo Awards
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Aaron McMillan won one award in that time.[4]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Aaron McMillan | Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music | Won |
Notes
- ^ ABC article Archived 2007-02-13 at the Wayback Machine retrieved on 14 May 2007
- ^ a b ABC News article Archived 2007-05-15 at the Wayback Machine retrieved on 14 May 2007
- ^ Susan Wyndham, obituary Musician excelled at keyboard and on court, The Age, 22 May 2007
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
External links
- www.aaronmcmillanmusic.com
- Inspiring talents used to the full Obituary in The Sydney Morning Herald
- Playing for Time Transcript of ABC Australia Story documentary
- Meet Aaron McMillan The Homily preached at the Funeral Mass