1. Faculty & Staff
  2. Timothy McMillin
Tim McMillin headshot
Faculty

Timothy McMillin

  • Director of Master of Music in Choral Conducting
  • Resident Conducting Faculty Member

Tim McMillin is honored to teach as a member of the esteemed faculty for Simpson College’s Master of Music (M.M.) in Choral Conducting degree, a hybrid program with coursework offered both online and during an intensive three-summer residency intended for practicing teachers. He helped establish the M.M. degree program at Simpson College in 2018 and has taught courses in choral literature, applied conducting, and choral seminar.

Biography

From 2004-2019, Dr. McMillin served as Director of Choral Studies at Simpson College, where he worked with undergraduate musicians and served as Chair of the Department of Music. Prior to coming to Simpson College, he directed high school choirs in Minnesota where he created and led award-winning programs.

Since 2008, Tim has led the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble (DMVAE) as Artistic Director and Conductor. In addition to maintaining its innovative and engaging choral season, DMVAE has collaborated with major artistic partners in Central Iowa including the Des Moines Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Des Moines Choral Festival, Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, Ballet Des Moines, Des Moines Community Orchestra, and numerous university and high school choirs under his leadership.

Tim is often called upon as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout Iowa and the Midwest. He’s directed various high school musical theater programs and performed with numerous community theater organizations. He served as Producer and Company Manager for the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and performed with and regularly served as auxiliary chorus master with the Des Moines Metro Opera, one of America’s major summer opera festivals where he was recently Director of Advancement for six seasons. He currently is Vice President of Development with Des Moines Performing Arts, one of Iowa’s premier non-profit arts organizations that emphasizes performing arts education in addition to providing access to world-class arts experiences to more than 350,000 people annually.

Tim earned the DMA in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in East Lansing and degrees in music education from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.

Education

Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in music education, Simpson College, 1998

Master of Arts (M.A.) in music education, University of St. Thomas, 2004

Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) in choral conducting, Michigan State University, 2010