Sir James MacMillan Appointed as Composer-in-Residence with Dresden Philharmonie for 2025/26

MacMillan's works will feature heavily in the orchestra's programming and he will conduct his own music in a concert of choral works in May 2026

The Dresden Philharmonie has recently announced that the Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan will serve as its Composer-in-Residence for the 2025/26 season. As part of the appointment, the orchestra will perform a number of MacMillan's works throughout the season.

These performances begin with the Fourth Symphony, which will be conducted by Donald Runnicles — to whom the work is dedicated — on November 22. The next day, the Collenbusch Quartet will play MacMillan's second string quartet, Why is this Night Different?

In April 2026, saxophonist Jess Gillam will join the orchestra as soloist in MacMillan's Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Strings, and the wind players of the Dresden Philharmonie will then play his Untold for wind quintet.

Finally, MacMillan himself will conduct the massed choirs of Dresden in a concert that pairs his own works with those of Arvo Pärt, Benjamin Britten, and J.S. Bach. The concert will include his major choral work Cantos Sagrados, among others, and will take place on May 9 and 10.

One of the most successful living composers, James MacMillan's catalog contains more than 200 works. He is the founder of the Cumnock Tryst, a music festival held in his Scottish hometown. He was awarded the CBE in 20024 and was knighted in 2015.