Andrew O’Hagan & James MacMillan (15:15)

The Kilwinning Effect

The pre-eminent composer, James MacMillan, who was born in Kilwinning and brought up in Cumnock, will be in conversation with the award-winning writer, Andrew O’Hagan, who was brought up in Irvine New Town and educated in Kilwinning.

What impact has their Ayrshire upbringing had upon their respective imaginations, preoccupations and inspirations? O’Hagan’s novel, Be Near Me, is set in a small Scottish parish akin to Kilwinning; equally MacMillan has drawn inspiration from the music and poetry of his roots as described in his memoir A Scots Song.

And yet how have composer and writer found their voices as artists without being strangled by their roots? Their leap from Kilwinning to the world’s concert platforms and bestseller lists is a story waiting to be told in this riveting conversation interspersed with a playlist to match.

In association with the Cumnock Tryst

Click to buy book	Click to buy book	Click to buy book