Sir James MacMillan

Sir James MacMillan Brings Sacred Music to Minnesota in Two-Week Festival.

By Richard Carrick

Minnesota recently experienced a remarkable musical celebration as acclaimed Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan visited for an extensive two-week residency featuring performances with the Minnesota Orchestra and VocalEssence. The residency, which ran from March 28 to April 6, was a significant cultural event for the state’s vibrant choral community.

The seeds for this residency were planted four years ago when Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence artistic director and founder, first heard MacMillan speak in Gloucester, England.

“When I first met Sir James I heard him give a lecture, and it was so riveting. He was so deep in what he was talking about in terms of music and its role in the world,” Brunelle recalled. “And I went up to him after and said, okay, so now when is it you’re coming to Minneapolis?”

What began as a hope turned into a rich musical experience, spanning orchestral concerts, sacred choral works, education, and a world premiere.

The festival opened with MacMillan conducting the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall on March 28 and 29 in a program featuring Woman of the Apocalypse and Kiss on Wood with cellist Sonia Mantell, alongside works by Wagner, Rachmaninoff, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

On April 4 at the Cathedral of Saint Paul, seven Twin Cities church choirs gathered for Voices for a Cathedral, a free concert of MacMillan’s sacred music. Each choir performed one of his anthems, culminating in a world premiere conducted by MacMillan with more than 250 singers.

The festival concluded April 6 at the Ordway Concert Hall with Sacred Voices, a performance of Seven Last Words from the Cross and The Sun Danced, featuring the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers, the University of Minnesota’s University Singers, a 45-piece orchestra, and soprano Goitsemang Lehobye.

“It’s a true privilege to have an internationally-known composer of his stature here for a healthy stretch of time and events, allowing our ‘choral country’ citizens to connect to the man and his music,” said Brunelle.

In addition to the performances, MacMillan engaged in community and educational activities throughout the week of March 31–April 4, leading workshops with high school students, teaching graduate composition and conducting students at the University of Minnesota, and speaking to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

“When I have invited guest composers from around the world, my goal has been that they are composers I want to show in a broader way, not just a single choral concert,” Brunelle noted. “And in the case of Sir James, he has a very big interest in young people. So I knew that had to be part of our week with him.”

Lehobye, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, brought a powerful voice and commanding presence. “You need a soprano, not only a beautiful voice, but a big voice that can carry over the orchestra,” Brunelle said. “And she’s that kind of person.”

The excitement around MacMillan’s visit lived up to expectations. MacMillan, widely recognized as the UK’s leading composer for choir and orchestra, is known for works rooted in his Scottish Catholic faith. His anthem Who Shall Separate Us? was commissioned for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

“He’s a lovely, wonderful man,” Brunelle reflected. “The kind of person you want to make music with.”