Dr. Tim McMillin accepted the position of Artistic Director and Conductor for the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble in the fall of 2008.
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.
Dr. McMillin also co-founded and serves as Co-Director and Professor of Music for Simpson College’s Master of Music (M.M.) in Choral Conducting degree, offered in an intensive, three-summers program. He conducts annually as part of the Des Moines Choral Festival, a professional choral festival produced through a partnership with CORO, Inc. and the M.M. program at Simpson College. From 2004-2019, Dr. McMillin served as Director of Choral Studies at Simpson College, where he worked with undergraduate musicians and served two terms as Chair of the Department of Music. Before his appointment at Simpson College, Dr. McMillin directed choirs in Minnesota where he created and led award-winning high school programs.
Choirs under Dr. McMillin’s direction recently appeared at the Iowa Choral Directors Association’s (ICDA) Summer Symposium. Dr. McMillin is often called upon as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout Iowa and the Midwest. Recently, he prepared choruses for the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, and the chorus for the Des Moines performances of the national touring company’s Star Wars: In Concert. He was also recently involved as a performer with the Jonathan Griffith Singers during an international tour throughout Turkey and sang in Winchester, England, under the direction of Paul Spicer.
Over the years, he directed various high school musical theater programs and performed with numerous community theater organizations. Dr. McMillin served as Producer and Company Manager for the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, a professional festival choir. He also performed with, served as auxiliary chorus master, and was a member of the stage management staff with the Des Moines Metro Opera, one of America’s major opera festival companies, where he currently serves as Director of Advancement.
Dr. McMillin 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.
His professional affiliations include the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), where he has served as Repertoire & Standards Chair for Four-Year Colleges and Universities and Community Choirs for the Iowa Chapter (ICDA), the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), the College Music Society (CMS), and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
