MacMILLAN, KEITH, 1920-1991
MUS 239

Keith MacMillan fonds.  - 1921-1991.  - 1.54 m of textual records.  - 117 photographs.  - 15 negatives.  - 3 slides.  - 40 audio discs.  - 138 audio tape cassettes.  - 183 audio tape reels. 

Bibliographic sketch
Toronto-born Keith MacMillan studied music with Boris Berlin, Ettore Mazzoleni, David Ouchterlony and Charles Peaker.  While studying biology at the University of Toronto, he wrote and produced a musical comedy, What, No Crumpets in 1947 and an operetta, Alive , in 1949.  In 1942, the year when he founded Hallmark Recordings with Douglas Sanderson, he also became a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio producer for a range of series including CBC Wednesday Night, Folk Song Time and CBC Concert Hall. 

Strongly involved in music, he worked as General Secretary of the Canadian Music Centre from 1964 to 1976, and also became the Centre's director general (1976-77).  During his extensive career, he also worked for a number of agencies including the Canadian Conference of the Arts, the Canadian Music Educators' Association, the Music Information Centres Commission of the International Association of Music Libraries and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.  A course instructor at York University for a number of years, Keith MacMillan was appointed chairman of the music department at the University of Ottawa (1977-85), where he taught acoustics and Canadian music.  Through his hard work, he made an admirable contribution to the promotion of Canadian music. 

Scope and content
The fonds contains records pertaining to Keith MacMillan's activities as an administrator, producer, author and teacher.  It includes, among other items, correspondence; a travel journal, poetic and dramatic texts; stories for children and unpublished books (Sir Ernest MacMillan:  A Biography, Looking Back:  Reminiscences of the Reverend Alexander MacMillan); his operetta Saints Alive (libretto by Ronald Dryden); speeches; scripts; notes for courses at the University of Ottawa and York University; material related to his activities in numerous organizations such as the music department at the University of Ottawa, the Canadian Music Centre, the Canadian Music Council; the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Committee of Ontario University Music Administrators, the Canadian University Music Society, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, Beaver Records Limited and Hallmark Recordings Limited; press clippings and concert programmes; photographs of Keith MacMillan and student music ensembles; recordings of CBC broadcasts produced by Keith MacMillan with renowned performers such as Greta Kraus and Kathleen Parlow; and sound recordings of interviews with his father, Sir Ernest MacMillan, and university courses. 

Immediate source of acquisition:  acquired from Patricia MacMillan, widow of Keith MacMillan, in 1993 and 1995. 

Restrictions:  results of student examinations, financial statements of various organizations and certain correspondence files. 

Finding aids:  provisional description.