What is Ernest MacMillan?
[[Image:TheCanadianTrio.jpg|right|thumb|The Canadian Trio (left to right: Zara Nelsova, Ernest MacMillan, Kathleen Parlow)]] [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]] '''Ernest MacMillan''' (born Mimico, [[Ontario]], [[18 August]] [[1893]]; died [[6 May]] [[1973]]) was a famous [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[conducting|conductor]] and [[composer]]. MacMillan's father was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[Presbyterian]] [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]] and [[musician]]. He was a child prodigy. He gave his first [[pipe organ|organ]] [[recital]] in [[Massey Hall]] at the age of ten. After studying in [[Britain]] and gaining the ARCO and FRCO diplomas at the [[Royal College of Organists]], he studied modern history at the [[University of Toronto]] from [[1911]] to [[1914]]. ==Prisoner in Germany== In [[1914]] he went to [[Europe]]. He wanted to study at the [[Paris Conservatoire]] but this was closed because of the political situation. He went on to Germany to attend the [[Bayreuth Festival]], but [[World War I]] started and he was taken prisoner and kept at the [[Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp|Ruhleben]] civilian detention camp near [[Berlin]]. He helped the other people who were prisoners in the camp to put on [[concert]]s. He gave talks about [[classical music]] and conducted a performance of the [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] [[opera]] ''[[Mikado]]'' as well as a [[pantomime]] version of ''[[Cinderella]]''. This helped him to get experience in conducting. He also took part in the drama productions. He studied hard and was given a BA degree from the [[University of Toronto]] (1915) and a D Mus from the [[University of Oxford]] (1918), although he was locked up in the camp all this time. ==After the war== After the war he returned to Canada where he gave organ recitals and lectured about his experiences in Ruhleben. From 1926 to 1942 he was principal of the ''Toronto Conservatory of Music'', later to become the [[Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto)|Royal Conservatory of Music]]. He was the conductor of the [[Toronto Symphony Orchestra]] betw