Name: Scattered by Michael Mills
Duration: 5 min 8 s
Description: Composed for Emmalie Tello, Teagan Faran, and David Friend and the 2022 Walden Creative Musicians Retreat.

Composed for Emmalie Tello, Teagan Faran, and David Friend and the 2022 Walden Creative Musicians Retreat.

Scattered

I spent the early months of 2023 in an almost constant state of travel, bouncing between residencies, work obligations and quick visits with out of town friends. While on the move, I experienced a revolving door of new faces rotating in and out of my life. With so many new people week to week, I became increasingly aware of the ways I connect with others and the process through which I unravel my interior world to make space for these visitors. 

and by opening up is my reflection on this process. It is an attempt to look at both the beauty of vulnerability, of unspooling oneself for the sake of connection, and the often painful ways we slip out of sync with others, causing us to become even more tightly wound.

Samantha Kochis, flute
Ryan Ghassemi, bassoon
Chris Otto, violin
Nick Brewer, piano

Recorded by Brian Riordan at New Music on the Point

and by opening up

Fated Nines - Jason Eckardt (Amorsima Trio)

Michael Mills composes music that addresses topics of the human condition through an extremely personal lens. Utilizing a unique compositional voice that often mixes contemporary and traditional practices, Michael explores and embraces the paradox of universality amongst our highly individualistic lives. Through his music, he asks questions and offers a singular perspective in both an act of and an invitation to reflection.

Growing up in a small town in southern West Virginia, Michael taught himself both piano and composition until beginning his undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech. Under the mentorship of Dr. Charles Nichols and Dr. Eric Lyon, Michael began using the idiosyncrasies that emerged from years of self-teaching as a foundation through which his musical expression has developed. Enthusiastically composing across an immense range of styles, mediums, and skill levels, Michael’s music has garnered performances throughout the American Mid-Atlantic region, on public radio, and across Europe.

Michael is currently in his second year of an MM in Composition degree at The Peabody Institute where he studies with Dr. Felipe Lara. He earned a B.A. in Music: Composition and Technology along with a minor in Psychology from Virginia Tech in 2019.

Scattered

Michael Mills

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