Susan Milan, England

At the age of 11 Susan Milan took lessons at the Royal College of Music with Prof. John Francis and at the age of 12 became a member of the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and a junior student at the RCM.

At 16, she won an RCM scholarship and began studying music full-time. Her further paths led her to Marcel Moyse in Boswil and Geoffrey Gilbert to the Guildhall School of Music. She started her career at the age of 21 as a second flute with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, and in 1974 she became the first woman to take up the position of solo flutist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for over 13 years before continuing her career as a freelance soloist and chamber musician.

Her performances have taken her to the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and East Asia. In 2010 her international appearances expanded to China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Africa. She can be heard regularly on BBC Radio and Classic FM and has recorded a wide range of repertoire for labels such as Chandos, Hyperion, Upbeat, Da Capo, Omega, Denon, Cala and Metier.

Her keen interest in contemporary music and her support for contemporary composers has led to many commissioned compositions and world premieres of new works for flute. Susan has long been a professor and fellow at the Royal College of Music, and her masterclasses are in great demand around the world. In 2006, because of her passion for chamber music, she founded the Charterhouse International Music Festival for talented young musicians, now the British Isle Music Festival.

www.susanmilan.com