by Penny Zent
NFA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Susan Milan has earned her place as a leading flutist of her generation through grit, talent, and hard work.
On her journey, she has shattered a dauntingly large number of glass barriers—both professional and personal.
By Penny Zent
Susan Milan has been widely hailed, and a quick scan of her achievements to date will indicate why.
The London-born flutist’s successful career as a symphony musician, soloist, recording artist, chamber musician, and teacher includes many firsts: first woman principal and member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, first woman to play principal in the London Symphony Orchestra, first woman flute professor at the Royal College of Music, first woman to chair the British Flute Society, and first woman jurist for the Kuhlau Competition.
Reading her bio, it would be easy to assume that she’s led a charmed life. The reality is that Milan’s life is one she created for herself through hard work, determination, and dedication—to both her work and her family.
“I was at home as a flute player. I had played in orchestras from the age of 12, concertos at 15, recitals from 16 when I went to conservatory,” Milan said. “So I was prepared for professional life as a flute player. But nothing prepared me for the complications of being a woman in what was, at that time, mainly a man’s world.”
Making Musical History
Milan was in her late 20s and had been with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta for six years when, in 1974, she was appointed principal flutist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and made musical history.
“The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra had no women members, but the wind section liked my playing and supported my appointment,” she said. “It was a huge privilege to play in such an amazing wind section. A dream come true, really. The majority of the orchestra members were very welcoming. Of course, one is bound to have at least one thorn in one’s side!”
Milan married at age 27 and became pregnant at 28. “So then I was the first pregnant woman in the RPO,” Milan said. “The defining moment in my life was when I lost my little girl. There was an outbreak of listeria poisoning in the U.K., and I contracted it. As a consequence, at full term, my baby was stillborn.”
Milan called this loss “the lesson of my life. I now knew what was important.” She returned to the orchestra after about a month. “The orchestra members were always good to me,” she said. “I was happy to be back and playing.”
Milan said that being the first woman principal in the RPO was “exhilarating and exciting—and sometimes quirky.” When she was appointed, “the Daily Telegraph took some conservative photos and printed a nice respectful few lines,” she said. “The Sun came in flash lights blazing, and the first thing they asked me was, ‘Do you have a boyfriend in the orchestra?’
“I wasn’t prepared for this, but said, simply, ‘No, I was learning the repertoire and it was a demanding job.’ The next day I was on page 3, flute in hand, with long hair draped, and the caption was, ‘Do not whistle at the flautist!’”