Paul McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney, of Beatles and Wings fame, has always been expanding upon his career, often delving into a range of genres. His venture into classical music began when he was first commissioned to write a major classical piece in 1990 by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, resulting in Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio. He progressed from there, with his second classical piece, A Leaf for piano, premiering in 1995. A number of chamber pieces and orchestral works have since been composed by McCartney, including the choral-orchestral symphonic poem Standing Stone, and 2006’s release, Ecce Cor Meum, his hugely successful work originally commissioned by Magdalen College, Oxford. As a result of his services to music, he was appointed a Fellow of The Royal College of Music in 1995 and a year later was knighted for his services.

Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool on June 18th 1942. He was raised in the city and educated at The Liverpool Institute.

Since writing his first song at the age of 14, Paul McCartney has dreamed and dared to be different. In the Sixties, with The Beatles, he changed the world of music. Through the following three decades, first with Wings and then as a solo artist, he continued to influence the sound of music around the globe.

In 1990 he was commissioned by The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society to write Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio, his first major classical work. In 1995, the 30th anniversary of his song Yesterday, his second classical piece – A Leaf for piano – was premiered at St James’s Palace.

He has continued to evolve in the classical medium, with chamber pieces and the orchestral works Spiral and Tuesday, featured on his CD album “Working Classical”, together with the award-winning symphonic poem Standing Stone. He contributed Nova to "A Garland for Linda", a collaboration of choral music with John Tavener, John Rutter and other classical composers in commemoration of the life of his wife Linda McCartney. His most recent classical composition is Ecce Cor Meum, a 57-minute work for soprano solo, boy trebles, chorus and orchestra, premiered in 2006 and recorded by EMI Classics. It won McCartney the 2007 Classical BRIT award for Album of the Year.

A Freeman of the City of Liverpool and the Lead Patron of The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Paul McCartney was appointed Fellow of The Royal College of Music in 1995. In 1996 he was knighted for his services to music.