Sir James MacMillan Named as 26th Fellow of The Ivors Academy

The Fellowship recognizes the Scottish composer's compositional excellence, immense impact, and enduring legacy

The Ivors Academy, a UK-based independent professional association for music creators, recently announced that composer Sir James MacMillan will be its 26th Fellow.

The Fellowship will be presented at the Barbican on March 15, where MacMillan is conducting the UK premiere of his work Fiat Lux — alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, soprano Mary Bevan, and baritone Roderick Williams.

One of the most successful living composers, MacMillan's catalog contains more than 200 works. He is the founder of the Cumnock Tryst, a music festival held in his Scottish hometown. In 2004 he was awarded the CBE and was knighted in 2015.

Founded in 2000, The Ivors Academy Fellowships have recognized the work of 25 musicians and composers thus far. Previous Fellows include John Adams, Joan Armatrading, David Arnold, Sir Malcolm Arnold, John Barry, Don Black, Pierre Boulez, Kate Bush, Sir John Dankworth, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, George Fenton, David Ferguson, Peter Gabriel, Sir Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Sir Elton John, Julian Joseph, Annie Lennox, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tim Rice, John Rutter, Judith Weir, and Sting.

"It is a great privilege to welcome Sir James MacMillan as the latest Fellow of The Ivors Academy," said Tom Gray, Chair of The Ivors Academy. "A prolific and globally renowned composer, Sir James is a foremost proponent of the power of music to communicate and forge bonds. He is a titan of music, generous in his creativity and craft, and extremely worthy of this recognition from his peers."

"It is a great delight and honor to be welcomed as a new Fellow of the Ivors Academy," MacMillan said. "It is humbling to read the list of Fellows and I will take this opportunity to rededicate my energies to the power of music and its mysterious ability to transform lives."