James MacMillan is one of today’s most successful living composers and is also internationally active as a conductor. His musical language is flooded with influences from his Scottish heritage, Catholic faith, social conscience and close connection with Celtic folk music, blended with influences from Far Eastern, Scandinavian and Eastern European music.
MacMillan first became internationally recognised after the extraordinary success of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie at the BBC Proms in 1990. His prolific output has since been performed and broadcast around the world, placing him in the front rank of today’s composers. His major works include percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, which has received more than 400 performances, a cello concerto for Mstislav Rostropovich, large scale choral-orchestral work Quickening, and three symphonies. Recent major works include his St John Passion, co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston Symphony and Rundfunkchor Berlin, and his Violin Concerto, co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Concertgebouw Zaterdag Matinee and the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. The 2010/11 season presents several MacMillan world premieres, including his Piano Concerto No.3, Mysteries of Light for the Minnesota Orchestra with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Osmo Vänskä, a trumpet concertino Seraph for Alison Balsom and the Scottish Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall, a chamber opera Clemency with Britten Sinfonia at the Royal Opera House, and the US premiere of his Violin Concerto with Vadim Repin and the Philadelphia Orchestra/Dutoit at Carnegie Hall and in Philadelphia.
MacMillan’s music has been the focus of many major festivals and residencies over the years, and he held the position of Affiliate Composer of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from 1990-2000, and Artistic Director of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Music of Today series from 1992-2002. In January 2005 MacMillan was the focus of a major retrospective in the BBC Symphony’s annual composer weekend at London’s Barbican Centre, where he conducted concerts with both the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, MacMillan won the prestigious Ivor Novello Classical Music Award and the British Composer Award for Liturgical Music. During the 2009/10 season, the London Symphony Orchestra presented an ‘Artist Portrait’ on MacMillan which, alongside the world premiere of his Violin Concerto, included him conducting the orchestra in the 2009 City of London Festival, a revival of the St John Passion with Sir Colin Davis, and performances of his trumpet concerto Epiclesis and an education project based on his work for ensemble and orchestra Into the Ferment, both conducted by Kristjan Järvi.
In the 2010/11 season MacMillan begins his term as Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Kamer Filharmonie, following 9 years as Composer/Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic. He has conducted orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and last season the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in his St John Passion, a work which MacMillan will conduct this season with the Brussels Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras. Further conducting highlights of the 2010/11 season include his song cycle Raising Sparks at Carnegie Hall, conducting the Gothenburg Symphony for a programme including his Symphony No. 3, the world premiere performances of his Oboe Concerto with Britten Sinfonia and soloist Nicholas Daniel, and with the Bournemouth Symphony for their Living Tradition series.
James MacMillan has directed many of his own works on disc for Chandos, BIS and BMG; his latest releases include a live recording of his opera The Sacrifice from its premiere performance by the Welsh National Opera in 2007 on Chandos, a BIS disc ofSun-Dogs and Visitatio Sepulchri with the Netherland Radio Kamier Filharmonie and Choir, and an LSO Live disc of his St John Passion with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis. Upcoming releases include a disc featuring MacMillan’s A Deep but Dazzling Darkness and his percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel with Colin Currie and the Netherlands Radio Kamer Filharmonie.
MacMillan was awarded a CBE in January 2004.
James MacMillan is represented by Intermusica.
The works of James MacMillan are published by Boosey & Hawkes. For a composing biography, please visit the Boosey & Hawkes website.
2010/11 season
James MacMillan in Scotland 