Stuart MacRae (born 12 August 1976) is a Scottish

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Education and career

Stuart MacRae was born in

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He studied at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

with Philip Cashian and Michael Zev Gordon, and subsequently with

Simon Bainbridge Simon Bainbridge (30 August 1952 – 2 April 2021) was a British composer. He was also a professor and head of musical composition, composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and visiting professor at the University of Louisville, Kentu ...

and

Robert Saxton Robert Saxton (born 8 October 1953 in London) is a British composer. Biography Robert Saxton was born in London and started composing at the age of six. He was educated at Bryanston School. Guidance in early years from Benjamin Britten and El ...

at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

. By his mid-twenties he was writing astonishingly original and powerfully expressive works, and was receiving commissions from organisations such as the BBC and the

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber music, chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert ...

as well as being appointed Composer-in-Association with the

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional rad ...

. Often inspired by aspects of nature and humans' relationship to it, MacRae's style draws on various strands of European

modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

, including the music of

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

Elliott Carter Elliott Cook Carter Jr. (December 11, 1908 – November 5, 2012) was an American modernist composer who was one of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century. He combined elements of European modernism and American " ...

Iannis Xenakis Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes as Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; , ; 29 May 1922 – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde composer, music theorist, architect, performance director and enginee ...

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...

and

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

Key works

* ''The Witch's Kiss'' (1997; chamber ensemble) * ''Violin Concerto'' (2001) * ''Ancrene Wisse'' (2002; choir, orchestra) * ''Motus'' (2003; chamber ensemble) * ''Echo and Narcissus'' (2006; chamber ensemble/dance) * ''Birches'' (2007; chamber orchestra) * ''Gaudete'' (2008; soprano and orchestra) * ''Earth'' (2010; orchestra) * ''Prometheus Symphony'' (2019; soprano and bass-baritone soloists and orchestra)Prometheus Symphony
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Operas

* ''The Assassin Tree'' (2006; chamber opera) * ''Remembrance Day'' (2009; chamber opera) * ''

Ghost Patrol ''Ghost Patrol'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield. Plot A scientific genius has invented a machine capable of causing planes to crash. He uses it on planes loaded with valuables. Various characters become involved in co ...

'' (2011; chamber opera) * ''The Devil Inside'' (2016) * ''Anthropocene'' (2019)

Awards

* 2013 South Bank Sky Arts Award for Opera for ''

''.

Career highlights

* 1993-7 – studies at Durham University, then

. * 1996 – finalist in Lloyd's Bank Young Composers' workshop. * 1997 – premiere of ''The Witch’s Kiss'' with

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at Media ...

and Peter Maxwell Davies. * 1999–2003 – Composer-in-Association of

. * 2001 – MacRae portrait concert conducted by

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, TOSD (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is Jam ...

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

. * 2001 – ''Violin Concerto'' premiered at

BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

. * 2006 – ''The Assassin Tree'', MacRae's first opera premiered at

. * 2008 – ''Gaudete'' premiered at

. * 2012 – ''

'' premiered by

Scottish Opera Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Founded in 1962 and based in Glasgow, it is the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland. History Scottish Op ...

and Music Theatre Wales.

Selected recordings

''The City Inside''
– Black Box BBM1058
''Piano Sonata''
– Delphian DCD 34009
''Tol-Pedn''
– Kairos 0012442KAI
''Interact''
– London Sinfonietta SINF CD1-2006
''Violin Concerto, Two Scenes from the Death of Count Ugolino, Motus, Stirling Choruses''
– NMC D115

References

External links

Stuart MacRae's website

Stuart MacRae's homepage at Novello & Co.
Alumni of the College of St Hild and St Bede, Durham Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 1976 births Living people Scottish male classical composers 20th-century Scottish classical composers 21st-century British classical composers 21st-century British musicians 20th-century Scottish male musicians 21st-century Scottish male musicians {{UK-composer-stub