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"There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer

James MacMillan

James MacMillan is one of today’s most successful 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 recognized 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. His major works include percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, which has received more than 400 performances, a cello concerto for Mstislav Rostropovich and three symphonies. Recent major works include his St John Passion co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Radio Choir, his Violin Concerto, Viola Concerto, St Luke Passion and, most recently, his Percussion Concerto No.2 for Colin Currie, co-commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra, Edinburgh International Festival, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
MacMillan enjoys a flourishing career as conductor of his own music alongside a range of contemporary and standard repertoire, praised for the composer’s insight he brings to each score. He was Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic until 2013 and was Composer/ Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic from 2000-2009; he has conducted orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Vienna Radio Symphony, Danish Radio Symphony, Gothenburg Symphony, Luxembourg Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra among others. MacMillan was Composer in Residence at the 2012 Grafenegg Festival and a London Symphony Orchestra Portrait Artist in the 2009/10 season.
In spring 2014 MacMillan conducted three projects with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, culminating in a ground-breaking tour to India with Nicola Benedetti performing in Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi including public concerts, schools concerts and outreach work. In the 2014/15 season, MacMillan conducts orchestras including the Bergen Philharmonic, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Britten Sinfonia. In January 2015 he conducts a new production of his opera, Inés de Castro, at Scottish Opera and elsewhere this season conducts choral concerts in Sao Paulo and with the BBC Singers. In October 2014 MacMillan founded his music festival, The Cumnock Tryst, which takes place in his native Ayrshire. 

Featured on

Johann Sebastian Bach, James MacMillan
Bach & MacMillan Motets & Sacred Songs
Tenebrae
Various composers
New Millennium
Choir of St John's College, Cambridge
Various composers
Overtones
Eline Groslot
Various composers
Bob Chilcott Canticles of Light
NFM Choir
Various composers
Tom & Will – Weelkes & Byrd 400 Years
The King's Singers | Fretwork
Various composers
Seraph
Tine Thing Helseth
Various composers
Now May We Singen
Choir of Westminster School
Various composers
Silence & Music
Gabrieli Consort
Various composers
OPUS250
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
James MacMillan
Out Of Darkness
The Choir of Jesus College Cambridge
James MacMillan
St Luke Passion
Markus Stenz / Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
James MacMillan
Work for chamber orchestra with soloists
James MacMillan / Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic
Various composers
Afscheid van een springlevend orkest
Radio Kamer Filharmonie
Magnificat - MacMillan series vol. 2
James MacMillan / Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic / Netherlands Radio Choir
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel - MacMillan series vol. 1
Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic / James MacMillan / Colin Currie / Gordan Nikolic
James MacMillan
Cantos Sagrados: Choral Music by James MacMillan
The Elysian Singer, Sam Laughton