Featured Composer: Thomas McMillan

Graduate student Thomas McMillan first came to UNCSA ten years ago to study composition with Michael S. Rothkopf in summer session. After getting his undergraduate degree at Davidson College, he returned here in the fall of 2016 to resume his studies with Dr. Rothkopf in UNCSA’s Master’s program.  

Thomas’s music is characterized by his abiding interest in contrapuntal interplay. “One thing I remember from my first summer session with Dr. Rothkopf was learning species counterpoint,” he says. “I absolutely loved it.” That love has been sustained and grown over the years, and can be heard in many of his compositions, which often seek to achieve the maximum range of expression from within very tight constraints.

His music also reflects a wry wit, which is evident in such diverse compositions as God Says Yes for soprano and piano and Tin In It for string orchestra. 

“I grew up playing piano, guitar, and trumpet, and I sang in a number of school and community groups,” he says, while acknowledging his debt to his parents’ support. “They claim not to be very musical, but they encouraged and cultivated the musical interests of my brother and me.”

To view a sample of Thomas' work, click on the score image below: