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{{Short description|Scottish composer and conductor}} {{Short description|Scottish composer and conductor}}
{{Other people5|James McMillan (disambiguation)}} {{Other people5|James McMillan (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Sir | honorific_prefix = Sir
| name = James MacMillan | name = James MacMillan
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|size=100%}} | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|size=100%}} ]
| image = James MacMillan at Meet the Composers 2012, headshot.jpg
| image =
| caption = MacMillan at the 2012 ]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|07|16|df=y}} | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|07|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = ], Scotland | birth_place = ], Scotland
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| occupation = {{ubl| Conductor | Composer }} | occupation = {{ubl| Conductor | Composer }}
| organizations = ] | organizations = ]
| awards = {{ubl| ] | ] }} | awards = {{ubl| ] | ] }}
| website = | website =
}} }}
'''Sir James Loy MacMillan''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}} (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish ] composer and conductor. '''Sir James Loy MacMillan''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}} ] (born 16 July 1959) is a ] ] composer and conductor.


==Early life== ==Early life==
MacMillan was born at ], in ], but lived in the ] town of ] until 1977. His father is James MacMillan and his mother is Ellen MacMillan (née Loy).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Macmillan, Sir James (Loy), (born 16 July 1959), composer and conductor; Professor of Theology, Imagination and the Arts, University of St Andrews, since 2015; Professor, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, since 2014|url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-26119|access-date=2021-07-16|website=WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO|year=2007|language=en|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U26119|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4}}</ref> MacMillan was born at ], in ], but lived in the ] town of ] until 1977. His father is James MacMillan, a carpenter,<ref name=DID>{{Cite web |date=8 October 2017 |title=''Desert Island Discs'', Sir James MacMillan |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09784x2 |access-date=2023-04-12|website=]}}</ref> and his mother is Ellen MacMillan (née Loy).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Macmillan, Sir James (Loy), (born 16 July 1959), composer and conductor; Professor of Theology, Imagination and the Arts, University of St Andrews, since 2015; Professor, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, since 2014|url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-26119|access-date=2021-07-16|website=Who's Who & Who Was Who|year=2007|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U26119|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4|url-access=registration}}</ref>


He studied composition at the ] with ] and ],<ref name="Scots Song">{{cite book|first=James|last=MacMillan|title=A Scots Song|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Birlinn|year=2019|isbn=978-1-78027-617-5}}</ref> and at ] with ], where he gained an undergraduate degree and then a PhD degree in 1987. At Durham he was a member of the ] as an undergraduate student<ref>{{cite web |title=Newswire, November 2017 |url=https://www.dunelm.org.uk/emailviewonwebpage.aspx?erid=10969402&trid=50ed4610-6756-420d-b9c4-b4c9e06347ce |website=Dunelm |access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> and the ] while studying for his PhD.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Queen's Birthday Honours 2015 |journal=Dunelm Magazine |date=2016 |issue=2 |page=33 |url=https://issuu.com/durhamfirst/docs/dunelm_issue_02 |access-date=8 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref> He was a lecturer in music at the ] from 1986 to 1988. After his studies, MacMillan returned to Scotland, composing prolifically, and becoming Associate Composer with the ], often working on education projects. As a young man he was briefly a member of the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09784x2|title=Sir James MacMillan, Desert Island Discs – BBC Radio 4|website=BBC}}</ref> He studied composition at the ] with ] and ],{{sfn|MacMillan|2019}} and at ] with ], where he gained an undergraduate degree and then a PhD degree in 1987. At Durham he was a member of the ] as an undergraduate student<ref>{{cite web|title=Newswire: New York Fundraising Gala Dinner|date=November 2017|url=https://www.dunelm.org.uk/emailviewonwebpage.aspx?erid=10969402&trid=50ed4610-6756-420d-b9c4-b4c9e06347ce|website=Dunelm – ] Alumni Community|access-date=21 October 2023}}{{failed verification|date=October 2023|reason=No mention of MacMillan there.}}</ref> and the ] while studying for his PhD.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Queen's Birthday Honours 2015 |journal=Dunelm Magazine |date=2016 |issue=2 |page=33 |url=https://issuu.com/durhamfirst/docs/dunelm_issue_02 |access-date=8 November 2018}}</ref> He was a lecturer in music at the ] from 1986 to 1988. After his studies, MacMillan returned to Scotland, composing prolifically, and becoming Associate Composer with the ], often working on education projects. As a young man he was briefly a member of the ].<ref name=DID />


==Rising success== ==Rising success==
He came to the attention of the classical establishment with the ]'s premiere of '']'' at the ] in 1990. ] was one of many women executed for ] in 17th-century ]. According to the composer, "On behalf of the Scottish people the work craves absolution and offers Isobel Gowdie the mercy and humanity that was denied her in the last days of her life".<ref>, Boosey.com</ref> He came to the attention of the classical establishment with the ]'s premiere of '']'' at the ] in 1990. ] was one of many women executed for ]. According to the composer, "On behalf of the Scottish people the work craves absolution and offers Isobel Gowdie the mercy and humanity that was denied her in the last days of her life."<ref>, work details and composer's notes, ]. {{retrieved|access-date=2023-10-21}}</ref>


The work's international acclaim spurred more high-profile commissions, including a ] for fellow Scot ]: '']''. It was premiered in 1992 and has become MacMillan's most performed work. He was also asked by ] to compose his ], which was premiered by Rostropovich himself in 1997. The work's international acclaim spurred more high-profile commissions, including a ] for fellow Scot ]: '']''. It was premiered in 1992 and has become MacMillan's most performed work. He was also asked by ] to compose his ], which was premiered by Rostropovich in 1997.


Further successes have included his second opera ''The Sacrifice'', commissioned by Welsh National Opera, Autumn 2007, which won a ] Award, and the ''St John Passion'' jointly commissioned by the ] and ]<ref name="lso-bso">{{cite web |url=http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/perf_detail.jsp?pid=prod3240102 |title=MacMillan |work=Boston Symphony Orchestra program notes |access-date=12 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925071417/http://bso.org/bso/mods/perf_detail.jsp?pid=prod3240102 |archive-date=25 September 2010 }}</ref> and conducted by ] at its world premiere in April 2008. He was awarded the ] for ], for his ''Strathclyde Motets'', in December 2008. Further successes have included his second opera ''The Sacrifice'', commissioned by Welsh National Opera, Autumn 2007, which won a ] Award, and the ''St John Passion'' jointly commissioned by the ] and ]<ref name="lso-bso">{{cite web |url=http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/perf_detail.jsp?pid=prod3240102 |title=MacMillan |work=] program notes |access-date=12 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925071417/http://bso.org/bso/mods/perf_detail.jsp?pid=prod3240102 |archive-date=25 September 2010}}</ref> and conducted by ] at its world premiere in April 2008. He was awarded the ] for ], for his ''Strathclyde Motets'', in December 2008.


In 2019, '']'' ranked MacMillan's ''Stabat Mater'' the 23rd greatest work of art music since 2000.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Clements|first1=Andrew|last2=Maddocks|first2=Fiona|last3=Lewis|first3=John|last4=Molleson|first4=Kate|last5=Service|first5=Tom|last6=Jeal|first6=Erica|last7=Ashley|first7=Tim|date=2019-09-12|title=The best classical music works of the 21st century|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/12/best-classical-music-works-of-the-21st-century|access-date=2020-06-12|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In 2019, '']'' ranked MacMillan's ''Stabat Mater'' the 23rd greatest work of art music since 2000.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Clements|first1=Andrew|last2=Maddocks|first2=Fiona|author2-link=Fiona Maddocks|last3=Lewis|first3=John|last4=Molleson|first4=Kate|last5=Service|first5=Tom|author6-link=Tom Service|last6=Jeal|first6=Erica|last7=Ashley|first7=Tim|date=2019-09-12|title=The best classical music works of the 21st century|newspaper=]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/12/best-classical-music-works-of-the-21st-century|access-date=2020-06-12}}</ref>

In 2024, he was became a Fellow of ], the 26th person to be so honoured.<ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=Sir James MacMillan becomes a Fellow of The Ivors Academy, recognising his legacy in contemporary composition |url=https://ivorsacademy.com/news/sir-james-macmillan-becomes-a-fellow-of-the-ivors-academy-recognising-his-legacy-in-contemporary-composition/ |website=The Ivors Academy |access-date=17 March 2024 |date=14 March 2024}}</ref>


==Influences== ==Influences==
MacMillan's music is infused with the ] and the political. His ] faith has inspired many of his sacred works; for example, a Magnificat (1999), and several ]es. This central strand of his life and compositions was marked by the ] in early 2005, with a survey of his music entitled ''From Darkness into Light''. MacMillan and his wife are lay ], and he has collaborated with ], a Catholic poet, and also ], the ].{{Citation needed|date=August 2012}} Perhaps his most political work is '']'' (1990), a setting of Latin American poetry by ] and ], combining elements of ] with more conventional religious texts. MacMillan has explicitly stated that his aim in writing this work was to emphasise 'a deeper solidarity with the poor of that subcontinent' in the context of political repression.<ref>Sam Laughton, notes to ] CD SIGCD507 (2004).</ref> MacMillan's music is infused with the ] and the political. His ] faith has inspired many of his sacred works; for example, a Magnificat (1999), and several ]es. This central strand of his life and compositions was marked by the ] in early 2005, with a survey of his music entitled ''From Darkness into Light''. MacMillan and his wife are lay ], and he has collaborated with ], a Catholic poet, and also ], the ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=James MacMillan - Classical Music Composers |url=https://www.pcmsconcerts.org/composer/james-macmillan/ |access-date=2024-06-12 |language=en-US}}</ref> Perhaps his most political work is ''Cantos Sagrados'' (1990), a setting of Latin American poetry by ] and Ana Maria Mendoza, combining elements of ] with more conventional religious texts. MacMillan has explicitly stated that his aim in writing this work was to emphasise 'a deeper solidarity with the poor of that subcontinent' in the context of political repression.<ref>Sam Laughton, notes to ] CD SIGCD507 (2004).</ref>

⚫ ] has also had a profound musical influence, and is frequently discernible in his works. When the ] was reconvened in 1999 after 292 years, a ] composed by MacMillan accompanied ] into the ]. Weeks after the opening ceremony, MacMillan launched a vigorous attack on sectarianism in Scotland, particularly anti-Catholicism, in a speech entitled "Scotland's Shame".<ref name="bbc-shame">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/415149.stm |publisher=] |title=Scotland's shame |date=9 August 1999 |access-date=12 January 2010}}</ref>


⚫ His Mass of 2000 was commissioned by ] and contains sections which the congregation may join in singing.<ref name="boosey-mass">{{cite web|url=http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/catalogue/cat_detail.asp?musicid=1017 |title=James MacMillan – Mass |publisher=]|access-date=12 January 2010}}</ref> Similarly, the ''St Anne's Mass'' and ''Galloway Mass'' do not require advanced musicianship, being designed to be taught to a congregation.
⚫ ] has also had a profound musical influence, and is frequently discernible in his works. When the ] was reconvened in 1999 after 292 years, a fanfare composed by MacMillan accompanied the ] into the chamber. Weeks after the opening ceremony, MacMillan launched a vigorous attack on sectarianism in Scotland, particularly anti-Catholicism, in a speech entitled "Scotland's Shame".<ref name="bbc-shame">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/415149.stm |work=] |title=Scotland's shame |date=9 August 1999 |access-date=12 January 2010}}</ref>


⚫ One of his most important commissions (by the Bishops' Conferences of England & Wales and of Scotland) was to write a new mass setting for choir and congregation to be sung at two of the three masses celebrated by ] during his ]. First sung at mass at ], Glasgow, on 16 September, it was sung again at the mass and ] of ] at ], Birmingham, on 19 September). He was also commissioned to write a setting of the text {{lang|la|Tu es Petrus}} (Matthew 16:18) for the Pope's entry at mass at Westminster Cathedral on 18 September.
⚫ His Mass of 2000 was commissioned by ] and contains sections which the congregation may join in singing.<ref name="boosey-mass">{{cite web|url=http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/catalogue/cat_detail.asp?musicid=1017 |title=James MacMillan – Mass |work=Boosey & Hawkes |access-date=12 January 2010}}</ref> Similarly, the ''St Anne's Mass'' and ''Galloway Mass'' do not require advanced musicianship, being designed to be taught to a congregation.


] broadcast in 2020–2021 ''Faith in Music'', Macmillan's examination of religious faith in the work of seven composers from ] to ].<ref>, ]</ref>
⚫ One of his most important commissions (by the Bishops' Conferences of England & Wales and of Scotland) was to write a new mass setting for choir and congregation to be sung at two of the three masses celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI during his Apostolic and state visit to Great Britain in 2010. First sung at mass at ], Glasgow, on 16 September it was sung again at the mass and beatification of ] at ], Birmingham, on 19 September). He was also commissioned to write a setting of the text ''Tu es Petrus'' (Matthew 16:18) for the Pope's entry at mass at Westminster Cathedral on 18 September.


==Appointments and collaborations== ==Appointments and collaborations==
MacMillan was composer and conductor with the ] from 2000 to 2009, following which he took up a position as principal guest conductor with the ].{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}} His collaboration with ] continued with his second opera, '']'' (based on the ancient Welsh tales of the ]), being premiered by ] in Autumn 2007. ''Sundogs'', a large-scale work for ] choir, also using text by Symmons Roberts, was premiered by the ] Contemporary Vocal Ensemble in August 2006. MacMillan was composer and conductor with the ] from 2000 to 2009, following which he took up a position as principal guest conductor with the ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Composer Biography: James MacMillan |url=https://www.boosey.com/composer/James+MacMillan?ttype=BIOGRAPHY |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.boosey.com |language=en}}</ref> His collaboration with ] continued with his second opera, '']'' (based on the ancient Welsh tales of the ]), being premiered by ] in Autumn 2007. ''Sundogs'', a large-scale work for ] choir, also using text by Symmons Roberts, was premiered by the ] Contemporary Vocal Ensemble in August 2006.


He is an ] of ], ]. He is patron of ] in Edinburgh, of ] Schola Cantorum along with ] and ], and he has been appointed patron of The British Art Music Series<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bamseries.com/about-us/people |title=The British Art Music Series |publisher=BAM Series |access-date=16 July 2014}}</ref> along with ] and ], and of the Schola Cantorum of the ] He is an ] of ], ], and Professor of Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at ]. He is one of the patrons of ] in Edinburgh, the ], The British Art Music Series,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bamseries.com/about-us/people|title=People|publisher=The British Art Music Series|access-date=21 October 2023}}</ref> and of the Schola Cantorum of the ].


He was appointed a ] (CBE) in 2004, and a ] in 2015.<ref>. Retrieved 26 June 2015</ref> He was appointed a ] (CBE) in 2004, and a ] in 2015.<ref> by Amy Willis, '']'', 13 June 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2023</ref>


In 2008, he became Honorary Patron of ]'s ''LCO New: Explore'' project, which explores links between music and other art forms and fosters emerging creative talent in composition.<ref>{{Cite web|title = James MacMillan – Classical Music Composers|url = https://www.pcmsconcerts.org/composer/james-macmillan/|website = Philadelphia Chamber Music Society|access-date = 11 December 2015}}</ref> He also serves as the Honorary President of the ].<ref>Bearsden Choir {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310112007/http://www.bearsdenchoir.co.uk/committee/honorary-president/ |date=10 March 2014 }}. Retrieved 9 March 2014.</ref> and he is Patron of the Strathearn Music Society<ref>Strathearn Music Society https://www.concertsincrieff.co.uk </ref> based in ]. In 2008, he became honorary patron of ]'s LCO New: Explore project, which explores links between music and other art forms and fosters emerging creative talent in composition.<ref>{{Cite web|title = James MacMillan – Classical Music Composers|url = https://www.pcmsconcerts.org/composer/james-macmillan/|website=]|access-date = 11 December 2015}}</ref>


==Personal life== ==Personal life==
MacMillan married Lynne Frew in 1983 they have two daughters and a son.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="MacMillanInChurch">{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/real-lives/composer-james-macmillan-on-the-failings-of-the-catholic-church-writing-music-for-open-air-papal-gatherings-and-voting-tory-1.1046990 |work=The Herald|location=Glasgow |title=Composer James MacMillan on the failings of the Catholic church, writing music for open-air papal gatherings and voting Tory |date=9 August 2010 |access-date=16 July 2014}}</ref> He also had a granddaughter, Sara Maria, who had ]. He said of her short life that, "We have been blessed and transformed through knowing and loving Sara, and being known and loved in return by her."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/issues/january-22nd-2016/blessed-by-a-little-angel/|title=Catholic Herald|access-date=10 August 2020}}</ref> MacMillan married Lynne Frew in 1983; they have two daughters and a son.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="MacMillanInChurch">{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/real-lives/composer-james-macmillan-on-the-failings-of-the-catholic-church-writing-music-for-open-air-papal-gatherings-and-voting-tory-1.1046990 |newspaper=]|location=Glasgow |title=Composer James MacMillan on the failings of the Catholic church, writing music for open-air papal gatherings and voting Tory |date=9 August 2010 |access-date=16 July 2014}}</ref> He also had a granddaughter, Sara Maria, who had ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/blessed-by-a-little-angel/|title=Blessed by a little angel|magazine=]|date=21 January 2016|author=Sir James MacMillan|access-date=21 October 2023}}</ref>


==Key works== ==Key works==
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* '']'' (orchestra – 1990) * '']'' (orchestra – 1990)
* '']'' (piano concerto – 1990) * '']'' (piano concerto – 1990)
* '']'' (percussion concerto – 1992) * '']'' (percussion concerto – 1992)
* '']'' (cantata: choir and strings – 1993) * '']'' (cantata: choir and strings – 1993)
* ''Inés de Castro'' (opera, libretto: Jo Clifford – 1991–95) * ''Inés de Castro'' (opera, libretto: ] – 1991–95)
* ''Britannia!'' (orchestra – 1994) * ''Britannia!'' (orchestra – 1994)
* ''Christus Vincit'' (1994), for SSAATTBB and Soli * ''Christus Vincit'' (1994), for ] and soli
* ''Three Scottish Songs'', voice and piano (text: ]) (1995) * ''Three Scottish Songs'', voice and piano (text: ]) (1995)
* ] (1996) * ] (1996)
* '']'' (cor anglais and orchestra – 1996) * '']'' (] and orchestra – 1996)
* '']'' (1997) * '']'' (1997)
* '']'' (soloists, chorus and orchestra – 1998) * '']'' (soloists, chorus and orchestra – 1998)
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* '']'' (organ and orchestra – 2004) * '']'' (organ and orchestra – 2004)
* ''Sun-Dogs'' (2006) * ''Sun-Dogs'' (2006)
* ] (2007) * ] (opera, 2007)
* ''St John Passion'' (2008) * ''St John Passion'' (2008)
* ] (2008) * ] (2008)
* ''Miserere'', mixed chorus a cappella (2009) * ''Miserere'', mixed chorus ] (2009)
* ] (2009) * ] (2009)
* ] (2010) * ] (2010)
* ''Clemency'' (2011) * ''Clemency'' (2011)
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* '']'' (2015) * '']'' (2015)
* Larghetto for orchestra (transcription of ''Miserere'', 2017) * Larghetto for orchestra (transcription of ''Miserere'', 2017)
* Symphony No. 5 "Le grand Inconnu" (2018) * ] (2018)
* '']'' (2020)
* ''A Christmas Oratorio'' (2021) * '']'' (2021)
* ] (2021)
* "]", anthem for the ] (2022) * "]", anthem for the ] (2022)


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===Articles=== ===Articles===
* {{cite journal |author=MacMillan, James |date=11 October 2008 |title=In harmony with heaven |journal=The Tablet |pages=12–13 <!--access-date= -->}} * {{cite magazine|last=MacMillan|first=James |date=11 October 2008 |title=In harmony with heaven |magazine=]|pages=12–13|ref=none}}


===Books=== ===Books===
* {{cite book|first=James|last=MacMillan|title=A Scots Song: A Life of Music|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Birlinn|year=2019|isbn=978-1-78027-617-5}} * {{cite book|first=James|last=MacMillan|title=A Scots Song: A Life of Music|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Birlinn|year=2019|isbn=978-1-78027-617-5}}


===Critical studies and reviews of MacMillan's work=== ===Critical studies and reviews===
* {{cite journal |author=Capps, Michael |date=Summer 2007 |title=Warld in a roar: the music of James MacMillan |journal=Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion |volume=54 |pages=95–108 |url=https://imagejournal.org/article/warld-in-a-roar-the-music-of-james-macmillan/ <!--access-date=2018-07-26-->}} * {{cite journal|last=Capps|first=Michael|date=Summer 2007 |title=Warld in a roar: the music of James MacMillan |journal=]|volume=54 |pages=95–108 |url=https://imagejournal.org/article/warld-in-a-roar-the-music-of-james-macmillan/ <!--access-date=2018-07-26-->|ref=none}}
* Spicer, Paul. ''''. Boosey & Hawkes (2001, updated 2021) * Spicer, Paul. ''''. ] (2001, updated 2021)


==References== ==References==
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==Further reading== ==Further reading==
* Capps, Michael. 2007. "Warld in a Roar: The Music of James MacMillan". ''Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion'', no. 54 (Summer) 95–108.
* Denis, Joe. , ''Manchester Salon'', April 2011 * Denis, Joe. , ''Manchester Salon'', April 2011
* Hallam, Mandy. 2008. "Conversation with James MacMillan". ''Tempo'' 62, no. 245 (July) 17–29. * Hallam, Mandy. 2008. "Conversation with James MacMillan". '']'' 62, no. 245 (July) 17–29.
* Johnson, Stephen. 2001. "MacMillan, James (Loy)". ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by ] and ]. London: Macmillan Publishers. * Johnson, Stephen. 2001. "MacMillan, James (Loy)". '']'', second edition, edited by ] and ]. London: Macmillan.
* Reich, Wieland. 2005. ''Neuigkeiten eines Nazareners? Zur Musik von James MacMillan''. Fragmen: Beiträge, Meinungen und Analysen zur neuen Musik 47. Saarbrücken: Pfau-Verlag. {{ISBN|3-89727-310-1}}. * Reich, Wieland. 2005. ''Neuigkeiten eines Nazareners? Zur Musik von James MacMillan''. Fragmen: Beiträge, Meinungen und Analysen zur neuen Musik 47. Saarbrücken: Pfau-Verlag. {{ISBN|3-89727-310-1}}.
* Smith, Rowena. 2007. "Celtic Parallels". ''Opera'' (UK) 58, no. 9 (September): 1038–43. * Smith, Rowena. 2007. "Celtic Parallels". '']'' (UK) 58, no. 9 (September): 1038–1043.
* Whittall, Arnold, and Alison Latham. 2002. "MacMillan, James (Loy)". ''The Oxford Companion to Music'', second edition, edited by Alison Latham. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0198662122}}. * ], and Alison Latham. 2002. "MacMillan, James (Loy)". '']'', 2nd edition, Alison Latham (ed.). Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0198662122}}.
* York, John. 2002. "The Makings of a Cycle? James MacMillan's Cello and Piano Sonatas". ''Tempo'', no. 221 (July): 24–28. * York, John. 2002. "The Makings of a Cycle? James MacMillan's Cello and Piano Sonatas". '']'', no. 221 (July): 24–28.


==External links== ==External links==
{{external links|date=October 2023}}
{{wikiquote}} {{wikiquote}}
* at ]
* {{Discogs artist|James MacMillan (2)}} * {{Discogs artist|James MacMillan (2)}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816093513/http://intermusica.co.uk/artists/composer-conductor/james-macmillan/biography |date=16 August 2013 |title=James MacMillan at Intermusica }} (accessed 12 October 2014). * {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816093513/http://intermusica.co.uk/artists/composer-conductor/james-macmillan/biography |date=16 August 2013 |title=James MacMillan at Intermusica }} (accessed 12 October 2014).
* unofficial site at Classical Net * unofficial site at Classical Net
* profile at BBC Philharmonic * profile at BBC Philharmonic
* Hewett, Ivan; ; ''Daily Telegraph'', 22 April 2009 * Hewett, Ivan; ; '']'', 22 April 2009
;Reviews of world première of the Violin Concerto ===Reviews of world première of the Violin Concerto===
* Picard, Anna; ; ''The Independent'', 16 May 2010 * Picard, Anna; ; '']'', 16 May 2010
* Morrison, Richard; ; ''Times Online'' 14 May 2010 * ]; ; '']'' 14 May 2010
* Ashley, Tim; ; ''The Guardian'', 17 May 2010 * Ashley, Tim; ; '']'', 17 May 2010
;Review of ''Seven Last Words from the Cross'' ===Review of ''Seven Last Words from the Cross''===
* ; ''Gramophone'', September 2009 * ; '']'', September 2009
;Personal life ===Personal life===
* Sweeney, Charlene; ; ''Times Online'', 8 December 2009 * Sweeney, Charlene; {{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}};{{dl|date=May 2024}} '']'', 8 December 2009 <small>(subscription required)</small>
* Grey, Richard; ; ''Scotland on Sunday'', 20 November 2005 * Grey, Richard; ; '']'', 20 November 2005


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Latest revision as of 23:22, 9 November 2024

Scottish composer and conductor For other people with similar names, see James McMillan (disambiguation).

SirJames MacMillanCBE TOSD
MacMillan at the 2012 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
Born (1959-07-16) 16 July 1959 (age 65)
Kilwinning, Scotland
EducationUniversity of Edinburgh
Occupations
  • Conductor
  • Composer
OrganizationsBBC Philharmonic
Awards

Sir James Loy MacMillan, CBE TOSD (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor.

Early life

MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is James MacMillan, a carpenter, and his mother is Ellen MacMillan (née Loy).

He studied composition at the University of Edinburgh with Rita McAllister and Kenneth Leighton, and at Durham University with John Casken, where he gained an undergraduate degree and then a PhD degree in 1987. At Durham he was a member of the College of St Hild and St Bede as an undergraduate student and the Graduate Society while studying for his PhD. He was a lecturer in music at the Victoria University of Manchester from 1986 to 1988. After his studies, MacMillan returned to Scotland, composing prolifically, and becoming Associate Composer with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, often working on education projects. As a young man he was briefly a member of the Young Communist League.

Rising success

He came to the attention of the classical establishment with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's premiere of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie at the BBC Proms in 1990. Isobel Gowdie was one of many women executed for witchcraft in 17th-century Scotland. According to the composer, "On behalf of the Scottish people the work craves absolution and offers Isobel Gowdie the mercy and humanity that was denied her in the last days of her life."

The work's international acclaim spurred more high-profile commissions, including a percussion concerto for fellow Scot Evelyn Glennie: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel. It was premiered in 1992 and has become MacMillan's most performed work. He was also asked by Mstislav Rostropovich to compose his Cello Concerto, which was premiered by Rostropovich in 1997.

Further successes have included his second opera The Sacrifice, commissioned by Welsh National Opera, Autumn 2007, which won a Royal Philharmonic Society Award, and the St John Passion jointly commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Sir Colin Davis at its world premiere in April 2008. He was awarded the British Composer Award for Liturgical Music, for his Strathclyde Motets, in December 2008.

In 2019, The Guardian ranked MacMillan's Stabat Mater the 23rd greatest work of art music since 2000.

In 2024, he was became a Fellow of The Ivors Academy, the 26th person to be so honoured.

Influences

MacMillan's music is infused with the spiritual and the political. His Catholic faith has inspired many of his sacred works; for example, a Magnificat (1999), and several masses. This central strand of his life and compositions was marked by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in early 2005, with a survey of his music entitled From Darkness into Light. MacMillan and his wife are lay Dominicans, and he has collaborated with Michael Symmons Roberts, a Catholic poet, and also Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Perhaps his most political work is Cantos Sagrados (1990), a setting of Latin American poetry by Ariel Dorfman and Ana Maria Mendoza, combining elements of liberation theology with more conventional religious texts. MacMillan has explicitly stated that his aim in writing this work was to emphasise 'a deeper solidarity with the poor of that subcontinent' in the context of political repression.

Scottish traditional music has also had a profound musical influence, and is frequently discernible in his works. When the Scottish Parliament was reconvened in 1999 after 292 years, a fanfare composed by MacMillan accompanied Elizabeth II into the parliamentary chamber. Weeks after the opening ceremony, MacMillan launched a vigorous attack on sectarianism in Scotland, particularly anti-Catholicism, in a speech entitled "Scotland's Shame".

His Mass of 2000 was commissioned by Westminster Cathedral and contains sections which the congregation may join in singing. Similarly, the St Anne's Mass and Galloway Mass do not require advanced musicianship, being designed to be taught to a congregation.

One of his most important commissions (by the Bishops' Conferences of England & Wales and of Scotland) was to write a new mass setting for choir and congregation to be sung at two of the three masses celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI during his apostolic and state visit to Great Britain in 2010. First sung at mass at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, on 16 September, it was sung again at the mass and beatification of John Henry Newman at Cofton Park, Birmingham, on 19 September). He was also commissioned to write a setting of the text Tu es Petrus (Matthew 16:18) for the Pope's entry at mass at Westminster Cathedral on 18 September.

BBC Radio 4 broadcast in 2020–2021 Faith in Music, Macmillan's examination of religious faith in the work of seven composers from Thomas Tallis to Leonard Bernstein.

Appointments and collaborations

MacMillan was composer and conductor with the BBC Philharmonic from 2000 to 2009, following which he took up a position as principal guest conductor with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic. His collaboration with Michael Symmons Roberts continued with his second opera, The Sacrifice (based on the ancient Welsh tales of the Mabinogion), being premiered by Welsh National Opera in Autumn 2007. Sundogs, a large-scale work for a cappella choir, also using text by Symmons Roberts, was premiered by the Indiana University Contemporary Vocal Ensemble in August 2006.

He is an honorary fellow of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and Professor of Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at St Mary's College, St Andrews. He is one of the patrons of St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh, the London Oratory School Schola, The British Art Music Series, and of the Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School.

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2004, and a Knight Bachelor in 2015.

In 2008, he became honorary patron of London Chamber Orchestra's LCO New: Explore project, which explores links between music and other art forms and fosters emerging creative talent in composition.

Personal life

MacMillan married Lynne Frew in 1983; they have two daughters and a son. He also had a granddaughter, Sara Maria, who had Dandy–Walker syndrome.

Key works

For a comprehensive list, see List of compositions by James MacMillan.

Bibliography

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (July 2018)

Articles

  • MacMillan, James (11 October 2008). "In harmony with heaven". The Tablet. pp. 12–13.

Books

Critical studies and reviews

References

  1. ^ "Desert Island Discs, Sir James MacMillan". BBC Radio 4. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Macmillan, Sir James (Loy), (born 16 July 1959), composer and conductor; Professor of Theology, Imagination and the Arts, University of St Andrews, since 2015; Professor, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, since 2014". Who's Who & Who Was Who. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U26119. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  3. MacMillan 2019.
  4. "Newswire: New York Fundraising Gala Dinner". Dunelm – Durham University Alumni Community. November 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. "The Queen's Birthday Honours 2015". Dunelm Magazine (2): 33. 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  6. "The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990)", work details and composer's notes, Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  7. "MacMillan". Boston Symphony Orchestra program notes. Archived from the original on 25 September 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  8. Clements, Andrew; Maddocks, Fiona; Lewis, John; Molleson, Kate; Service, Tom; Jeal, Erica; Ashley, Tim (12 September 2019). "The best classical music works of the 21st century". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  9. "Sir James MacMillan becomes a Fellow of The Ivors Academy, recognising his legacy in contemporary composition". The Ivors Academy. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  10. "James MacMillan - Classical Music Composers". Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  11. Sam Laughton, notes to Signum Records CD SIGCD507 (2004).
  12. "Scotland's shame". BBC News. 9 August 1999. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  13. "James MacMillan – Mass". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  14. "Faith in Music programme listing, BBC Radio 4
  15. "Composer Biography: James MacMillan". www.boosey.com. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  16. "People". The British Art Music Series. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  17. "Queen’s birthday honours: Here’s the full list" by Amy Willis, Metro, 13 June 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2023
  18. "James MacMillan – Classical Music Composers". Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  19. "Composer James MacMillan on the failings of the Catholic church, writing music for open-air papal gatherings and voting Tory". The Herald. Glasgow. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  20. Sir James MacMillan (21 January 2016). "Blessed by a little angel". Catholic Herald. Retrieved 21 October 2023.

Further reading

External links

This article's use of external links may not follow Misplaced Pages's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (October 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Reviews of world première of the Violin Concerto

Review of Seven Last Words from the Cross

Personal life

James MacMillan
List of compositions
Opera
Symphony
Concerto
Other compositions
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