Keith MacMillan

Keith Campbell MacMillan (1920–1991) was a composer, administrator, writer, editor, and educator. He was born in Toronto on September 23, 1920, son of the eminent conductor, composer, organist, and educator Sir Ernest MacMillan and Laura Elsie Keith. He attended Upper Canada College and studied piano, music theory, and organ privately. He enrolled at Trinity College, studying mainly biology.

MacMillan graduated from Trinity College with a BA in 1949 and received an MA in 1951 from the University of Toronto. The following year he founded Hallmark Recordings and became a CBC Radio producer. In 1964, he was named executive director of the Canadian Music Centre. His advocacy of Canadian music included writing, lecturing, and consulting. MacMillan was chair of the music department at the University of Ottawa from 1977 until his retirement in 1985.

Keith MacMillan met his wife, Helen Patricia (“Pat”) Dustan, at Trinity College; they married in 1949. They had four children. Keith died on May 20, 1991 in Toronto.
[Sources include Canadian Encyclopedia and the Toronto Star obituary of Helen Patricia (“Pat”) Dustan: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestar/obituary.aspx?pid=182489208]

06/10/2019