Composer Brochure | Works

BIOGRAPHY
2001 Hyperion disc of choral works, including new Mass, marks
MacMillan as a leading choral composer. Conducting
activities increasing, including 2001/02 concerts with
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Residentie Orkest and
Rotterdam Philharmonic.
2002 Tryst choreographed by Christopher Weeldon at Royal
Ballet Covent Garden. Series of choral performances in
Philadelphia includes US premiere of Quickening. South
Bank Show feature on ITV, directed by Robert Bee.
2003 First performances of Symphony No.3: ‘Silence’, inspired
by the book by Shusaku Endo, in Tokyo, London and
Amsterdam. Colin Currie gives 300th performance of
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel. A Scotch Bestiary commissioned to
inaugurate new organ at Walt Disney Hall and premiered by
Wayne Marshall and Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted
by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
2004 Conducts premiere at New York City Ballet of Piano
Concerto No.2, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
as Shambards. Other conducting engagements in Japan,
Australia, Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.
Awarded a CBE.
2005 Major retrospective presented by BBC Symphony
Orchestra at Barbican in London, with 27 works performed.
Embarks on second full-length opera, The Sacrifice, to
a libretto by Michael Symmons Roberts, commissioned by
Welsh National Opera.
2006 Conducts Quickening in New Zealand and Seven Last
Words at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. First
performances of Sun-Dogs at Indiana University, Three
Choirs Festival, and Soundstreams Canada. Features at St
Magnus and Cheltenham Festivals.
2007 The Sacrifice is premiered in Cardiff, tours to seven cities
in the UK, and wins the Royal Philharmonic Society Award
for opera and music theatre.
2008 Sir Colin Davis conducts premiere of St John Passion with
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
BIOGRAPHY 6