James MacMillan

b. 1959

Snapshot

James MacMillan is the pre-eminent Scottish composer of his generation * Attracted attention with acclaimed BBC Proms premiere of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990) * Music combines rhythmic excitement, raw emotional power and spiritual meditation * Percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (1992) has received over 400 performances * Programmed worldwide by orchestras including London Symphony Orchestra, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics and Cleveland Orchestra * Featured composer at Edinburgh Festival (1993), Southbank Centre in London (1997) and BBC Barbican Composer Weekend (2005) * Interpreters include soloists Evelyn Glennie, Wayne Marshall, Colin Currie, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, conductors Slatkin, Rostropovich, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Andrew Davis, Vänska, Alsop, Maksymiuk, Runnicles and Brabbins, and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon * Recordings on BMG/RCA Red Seal, BIS, Chandos, Naxos, Hyperion, Coro and Black Box

Works by James MacMillan include:
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (1992) for percussion and orchestra
Seven Last Words from the Cross (1993) Cantata for choir and strings
Quickening (1998) for soloists (ATTB), children's choir, mixed choir and orchestra

View our web guide to MacMillan's choral music (PDF).

Looking Ahead: 34-concert tour with Miserere and Strathclyde Motets around UK by The Sixteen (Mar-Oct); premiere of The Death of Oscar in Stuttgart conducted by Stéphane Denève (11 July); UK premiere of Piano Concerto No.3 with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Edinburgh (4 Oct); new recordings to be released on Hyperion, Challenge Classics and Linn; future projects include a full-evening chamber oratorio and a large-scale orchestral work

"...a composer so confident of his own musical language that he makes it instantly communicative to his listeners." — The Guardian