James MacMillan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James MacMillan
CBE TOSD
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MacMillan at the 2012 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
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| Born | 16 July 1959 Kilwinning, Scotland
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| Education | University of Edinburgh |
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| Organization | BBC Philharmonic |
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Sir James Loy MacMillan (born on July 16, 1959) is a famous Scottish classical composer and conductor. He writes music for orchestras, choirs, and solo instruments. He is known for his powerful and emotional pieces.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James MacMillan was born in Kilwinning, Scotland. He grew up in the town of Cumnock. His father was a carpenter, and his mother was Ellen MacMillan.
He loved music from a young age. He studied how to compose music at the University of Edinburgh. Later, he continued his studies at Durham University, where he earned a PhD degree in 1987. After finishing his education, MacMillan went back to Scotland. He started writing a lot of music and worked with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He also helped with music education projects.
Rising to Fame
MacMillan became well-known in the classical music world in 1990. This happened when the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra performed his piece The Confession of Isobel Gowdie at the BBC Proms. This music was about Isobel Gowdie, a woman who was accused of witchcraft in Scotland long ago. MacMillan said his music was meant to show kindness and understanding to her.
This piece was praised around the world. It led to more important requests for him to write music. One of these was a percussion concerto called Veni, Veni, Emmanuel. He wrote it for the Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie. This piece was first performed in 1992 and has become MacMillan's most popular work.
Another famous musician, Mstislav Rostropovich, asked MacMillan to write a Cello Concerto. Rostropovich himself performed it for the first time in 1997.
MacMillan continued to have many successes. His second opera, The Sacrifice, won an award from the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2007. He also wrote the St John Passion, which was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra in 2008. In the same year, he received a British Composer Award for his Strathclyde Motets.
In 2019, The Guardian newspaper said that MacMillan's Stabat Mater was one of the greatest pieces of art music created since the year 2000. In 2024, he was honored by The Ivors Academy, a group that celebrates music creators.
Musical Inspirations
MacMillan's music often shows his deep spiritual beliefs and his interest in social issues. His Catholic faith has inspired many of his sacred works. These include a Magnificat (a song of praise) and several Masses. The BBC Symphony Orchestra even held a series of concerts in 2005 called From Darkness into Light to highlight this part of his music. MacMillan and his wife are lay Dominicans, which means they are part of a Catholic religious order but do not live in a monastery. He has also worked with Michael Symmons Roberts, a Catholic poet.
MacMillan has also worked with Rowan Williams, who was once the leader of the Anglican Church. One of his most political pieces is Cantos Sagrados (1990). This work uses poems from Latin America that talk about social justice. MacMillan wanted to show support for people facing hardship in that part of the world.
Traditional Scottish music has also greatly influenced his work. You can often hear Scottish sounds in his compositions. When the Scottish Parliament met again in 1999 after many years, a special piece of music by MacMillan was played as Elizabeth II entered the building.
He has also written church music that is easy for everyone to sing. For example, his Mass (2000) was written for Westminster Cathedral. Parts of it are designed so that the people attending church can join in. He also wrote the St Anne's Mass and Galloway Mass for congregations to sing.
In 2010, MacMillan was asked to write new music for the Mass when Pope Benedict XVI visited Great Britain. This music was sung at large church services in Glasgow and Birmingham. He also wrote a special piece called Tu es Petrus for the Pope's entry at Westminster Cathedral.
From 2020 to 2021, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a series called Faith in Music. In this series, MacMillan explored how religious faith influenced the music of seven different composers.
Important Roles and Collaborations
From 2000 to 2009, MacMillan was a composer and conductor with the BBC Philharmonic orchestra. After that, he became a main guest conductor for the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic.
He continued to work with the poet Michael Symmons Roberts on his second opera, The Sacrifice. This opera was based on old Welsh stories and was first performed in 2007. Another large choral work, Sundogs, also used text by Symmons Roberts.
MacMillan holds several important academic positions. He is an honorary fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. He is also a Professor at St Mary's College, St Andrews. He supports several music schools and groups, including St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh.
He received important honors for his contributions to music. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2004. In 2015, he was made a Knight Bachelor, which means he can use the title "Sir."
In 2008, he became a patron for the London Chamber Orchestra's LCO New: Explore project. This project helps young musicians and explores how music connects with other art forms.
Personal Life
James MacMillan married Lynne Frew in 1983. They have three children.
Key Musical Works
- After the Tryst (for violin and piano – 1988)
- Cantos Sagrados (for choir and organ – 1989)
- The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (for orchestra – 1990)
- Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (a concerto for percussion – 1992)
- Seven Last Words from the Cross (for choir and strings – 1993)
- Britannia! (for orchestra – 1994)
- Cello Concerto (1996)
- The World's Ransoming (for cor anglais and orchestra – 1996)
- Symphony: Vigil (1997)
- Quickening (for solo singers, chorus, and orchestra – 1998)
- Symphony No. 2 (1999)
- Mass (for choir and organ – 2000)
- Symphony No. 3 "Silence" (2002)
- Piano Concerto No. 2 (2003)
- A Scotch Bestiary (for organ and orchestra – 2004)
- The Sacrifice (opera, 2007)
- St John Passion (2008)
- Piano Concerto No. 3 "The Mysteries of Light" (2008)
- Miserere (for mixed choir without instruments – 2009)
- Violin Concerto No. 1 (2009)
- Oboe Concerto (2010)
- St Luke Passion (2013)
- Viola Concerto (2013)
- Symphony No. 4 (2015)
- Stabat Mater (2015)
- A European Requiem (2015)
- Symphony No. 5 "Le grand Inconnu" (2018)
- Her tears fell with the dews at even (2020)
- A Christmas Oratorio (2021)
- Violin Concerto No. 2 (2021)
- "Who shall separate us?", an anthem for the state funeral of Elizabeth II (2022)
See also
In Spanish: James MacMillan para niños
