Aaron McMillan
Encyclopedia
Aaron McMillan was an Australia
n classical pianist
.
He attended Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner
School in Middle Cove
, Sydney
. Aaron's piano teacher at Glenaeon was Coral Patterson. Coral was Aaron music mentor in his early years and instrumental in his development as a musician, Coral also encouraged Aaron to attend many eisteddfods and competitions. Both Coral Patterson and Glenaeon (where Coral still teaches) were fundamental in Aaron's development and formed the core of his early experience of music.
Aaron was also a keen basketballer. At age 15 he captained his local basketball team to a state championship and was named most valuable player. Aaron was hoping 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. He continued piano studies with Neta Maughan, the teacher of Michael Kieran Harvey
, Simon Tedeschi
, and her own daughter Tamara Anna Cislowska
. At age 16 he was the youngest Australian pianist to gain a Licentiate Diploma of Music with distinction. He took part in the 1996 Sydney International Piano Competition
.
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
.
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 hemangiopericytoma
, a rare brain tumour
. It was discovered while he was being photographed for the cover of an album. A small pimple on his eyelid prompted him to see a doctor, who diagnosed the condition. He was operated on by Charlie Teo
and the tumor was successfully removed. The first of two Australian Story
programs on ABC television
, entitled Playing for Time, followed his surgery at Sydney
's Prince of Wales Hospital
. Among his various charity work, he was an ambassador for Charlie Teo's "Cure for Life Foundation". The tumour returned in 2003. It did not respond to treatment, and by 2005 he could no longer play the piano.
McMillan performed solo at the Sydney Opera House
on two occasions. Because of his illness, he could not perform at a planned third concert but instead made it an opportunity for him to present other pianists. He released a 9-CD box set of his recordings, which he produced from his bed in the palliative care unit of St Vincent's Hospital
in Darlinghurst
. The Governor of New South Wales
, Marie Bashir
, officiated at the release. His story is told in Susan Wyndham's book, "Life In His Hands", which deals with both Aaron and Charlie Teo, his neurosurgeon.
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.
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.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n classical pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
He attended Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
School in Middle Cove
Middle Cove, New South Wales
Middle Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Middle Cove is located 7 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby....
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Aaron's piano teacher at Glenaeon was Coral Patterson. Coral was Aaron music mentor in his early years and instrumental in his development as a musician, Coral also encouraged Aaron to attend many eisteddfods and competitions. Both Coral Patterson and Glenaeon (where Coral still teaches) were fundamental in Aaron's development and formed the core of his early experience of music.
Aaron was also a keen basketballer. At age 15 he captained his local basketball team to a state championship and was named most valuable player. Aaron was hoping to gain selection in the national basketball team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. After an injury during training forced his departure from the sport, he then moved to his next passion, music. He continued piano studies with Neta Maughan, the teacher of Michael Kieran Harvey
Michael Kieran Harvey
Michael Kieran Harvey is an Australian pianist whose career has been notable for its diversity and wide repertoire. He is renowned for commissioning and performing new music. He has especially promoted the works of Australian composers, such as Carl Vine, all of whose piano music he has recorded...
, Simon Tedeschi
Simon Tedeschi
Simon Tedeschi is a Boston-based classical pianist from Australia.-Life and career:Simon Tedeschi was born in Sydney to Mark Tedeschi QC, the New South Wales Crown Prosecutor and a prominent photographer and Vivienne Tedeschi, who is the daughter of a Polish Holocaust survivor, Lucy Gershwin,...
, and her own daughter Tamara Anna Cislowska
Tamara Anna Cislowska
Tamara Anna Cislowska is an Australian concert pianist and chamber musician. She has performed across most of the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Colombia, Greece, The Netherlands and Poland, and has associated with the Philharmonia, the London...
. At age 16 he was the youngest Australian pianist to gain a Licentiate Diploma of Music with distinction. He took part in the 1996 Sydney International Piano Competition
Sydney International Piano Competition
The Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia is a music competition, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in association with the University of Sydney and broadcast live throughout Australia. It is held every four years, over a three-week period in July-August, and is...
.
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
Dulcie Holland
Dulcie Sybil Holland AM was an Australian composer and music educator. Best known for her contributions to music education through her energetic involvement with the Australian Music Examinations Board, Holland has in recent decades gained greater recognition as a composer...
, Miriam Hyde
Miriam Hyde
Miriam Beatrice Hyde AO, OBE was an Australian composer, pianist, poet and music educator.She composed over 150 works for piano, songs and other instrumental and orchestral works and performed as a concert pianist with eminent conductors including Sir Malcolm Sargent, Sir Bernard Heinze and...
and Elena Kats-Chernin
Elena Kats-Chernin
Elena Kats-Chernin is an Australian composer.Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent , and migrated to Australia in 1975.-Europe:...
.
As an adult his other love was cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. He coached other players and through the game he met Gavin Robertson
Gavin Robertson
Gavin Ron Robertson is a former Australian cricketer who played in 4 Tests and 13 ODIs from 1994 to 1998 after a first-class cricket career that saw him depart New South Wales for Tasmania and then return to New South Wales.Robertson is also a member of the band Six & Out with Australian fast...
and Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
, and Tim Farriss
Tim Farriss
Timothy William Farriss is a member of the rock band :INXS.-Early life and the formation of INXS:...
from INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
, who all became his friends.
In 2001, McMillan was diagnosed with hemangiopericytoma
Hemangiopericytoma
A hemangeopericytoma is a type of soft tissue sarcoma that originates in the pericytes in the walls of capillaries. When inside the nervous system, although not strictly a meningioma tumor, it is a meningeal tumor with an especially aggressive behavior.It was characterized in...
, a rare brain tumour
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
. It was discovered while he was being photographed for the cover of an album. A small pimple on his eyelid prompted him to see a doctor, who diagnosed the condition. He was operated on by Charlie Teo
Charles Teo
Charles "Charlie" Teo AM is a high profile Australian neurosurgeon.- Neurosurgery :Teo trained in Sydney, but worked for a decade in the United States, where he still teaches. His sub-speciality is paediatric neurosurgery. He is the director of the Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery at...
and the tumor was successfully removed. The first of two Australian Story
Australian Story
Australian Story is a national weekly documentary series, produced and broadcast on ABC Television.Since 1996 Australian Story has featured many Australians from diverse backgrounds and reputations...
programs on ABC television
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, entitled Playing for Time, followed his surgery at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney
The Prince of Wales Hospital is a major public teaching hospital located in Sydney's eastern suburb of Randwick, providing a full range of hospital services to the people of New South Wales, Australia...
. Among his various charity work, he was an ambassador for Charlie Teo's "Cure for Life Foundation". The tumour returned in 2003. It did not respond to treatment, and by 2005 he could no longer play the piano.
McMillan performed solo at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
on two occasions. Because of his illness, he could not perform at a planned third concert but instead made it an opportunity for him to present other pianists. He released a 9-CD box set of his recordings, which he produced from his bed in the palliative care unit of St Vincent's Hospital
St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney
St Vincent's Public Hospital, Sydney is located in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. Though part of the New South Wales state public health system it remains under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity.-History:...
in Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. The Governor of New South Wales
Governors of New South Wales
The Governor of New South Wales is the state viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, as well as with the eleven other jurisdictions of Australia, and resides predominantly in her...
, Marie Bashir
Marie Bashir
Marie Roslyn Bashir AC, CVO is the present Governor of New South Wales since 2001 and also the Chancellor of the University of Sydney since 2007. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular...
, officiated at the release. His story is told in Susan Wyndham's book, "Life In His Hands", which deals with both Aaron and Charlie Teo, his neurosurgeon.
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
Mo Awards
The Mo Awards are long running annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia....
for services to the entertainment industry.
Family
His parents, Brian McMillan. and Gail née Robinson, met on a meditationMeditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
retreat. Soon after Aaron's birth, his father left to become a Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monk in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, 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
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
, by his father's Buddhism, and other spiritual ideas.
External links
- 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