About Tom's Creek Publishing
I founded Tom’s Creek Publishing in the spring of 2020 in order to provide a home for the large variety of music I compose as well as the other music related projects in which I am actively involved. While it began primarily as a means of self-publishing, I have recently been creating plans to expand TCP’s role and influence beyond my own personal work. There are many barriers that exist in music as an institution. My hope is to use Tom’s Creek Publishing as a means of addressing some of these barriers such that more opportunities can exist for those who aspire to have music in their lives. Growing to include a more expansive catalogue, robust educational resources, and publishing opportunities for early career composers as well as composers from underrepresented communities are just a few of the ways I envision TCP working towards challenging these institutional barriers.
There is a long road ahead of both myself and Tom’s Creek Publishing before these goals can be achieved, but I am excited for the changes to come and look forward to meeting the challenge. Thank you for welcoming my work and music into your life.
About Michael Mills
Michael Mills is an accomplished composer whose music has been performed throughout the American Mid-Atlantic region, on public radio, and across Europe. Growing up in a small town in southern West Virginia, he taught himself piano and composition until beginning his undergraduate studies. Michael primarily composes music that addresses topics related to the human experience using a unique compositional voice that mixes contemporary and traditional practices. He ignores the notion of being defined by a genre and enthusiastically composes across an immense range of styles, mediums, and skill levels.
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Aside from composing, Michael is also active as a pianist and musician. He often performs his own music or gives performances of new works by his colleagues, including a number of world premieres. Michael is an avid instructor who finds an immense amount of joy in working with the students in his piano and composition studios. He has began creating a music educational series on the Tom's Creek Publishing YouTube Channel which will cover various musical topics such as rhythm, harmony, history, and more.
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Michael earned his BA in Music Composition and Technology along with a Minor in Psychology from Virginia Tech in 2019 where he studied with Dr. Charles Nichols (composition), Dr. Eric Lyon (composition), Dr. Richard Masters (piano), Dr. Michael Dunston (music technology) and Dr. Kyle Hutchins (new-music). He has also received lessons from Dr. Amy Beth Kirsten, Dr. Dimitri Tymoczko, Dr. Gorge Grossman, Dr. Stefano Gervasoni, Dr. Stratis Minakakis, Dr. Andrew List, Dr. Joel Hoffman, Dr. Dorothy Hindman, Dr. Michael Fiday, Dr. John Allemeier, Dr. Christopher Biggs, and Dr. Daniel Eichenbaum. Michael is in his second of two planned gap years before continuing his musical education with the intent to earn a Doctorate in musical composition.
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