MacMillan Spotlight in Minnesota
Composer-conductor James MacMillan is featured across multiple Minnesota orchestral and choral presentations during one week between March and April.
This spring, James MacMillan is in the spotlight in Minnesota with a series of orchestral and choral presentations of his works across the Twin Cities.
MacMillan makes his conducting debut with the Minnesota Orchestra on March 28-29, leading performances of Kiss on Wood—featuring cello soloist Sonia Mantell with string orchestra—and Woman of the Apocalypse, which the San Francisco Chronicle has praised for its "big, splashy swirls of instrumental color."
> Mar 28-29: MacMillan conducts the Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota focus on MacMillan continues with a weeklong festival of MacMillan’s choral music presented by choral luminary Philip Brunelle and Vocal Essence (Apr 4-6), featuring a range of choirs from across the region. Seven Twin Cities church choirs join forces to perform MacMillan’s pieces, including the world premiere commission of Haec Dies at the Cathedral of Saint Paul on April 4. VocalEssence also presents an all-MacMillan concert at the Ordway Concert Hall in Saint Paul on April 6. The program includes Seven Last Words from the Cross and the US premiere of The Sun Danced, with participation from the University of Minnesota Singers and Orchestra, among others.
This spring also sees a performance of MacMillan’s Larghetto, performed by The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Manfred Honeck (Mar 13-15).
Photo: James Bellorini