Susan Milan awarded lifetime achievement award

The National Flute Association has awarded RNCM tutor Susan Milan the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award for her profound commitment to music and a dedication to the flute community.

NFA President Joanna Bassett said: ‘Susan Milan is an international soloist and orchestral flautist who was a pioneer in the male-dominated music world. Her artistry has inspired musicians and audiences alike, and the National Flute Association is thrilled to award a Lifetime Achievement Award to her at our 2019 convention in Salt Lake City.’

Susan Milan, born in London to civil servants, has been called the Queen of the Flute. She has led an extremely successful career as a symphony musician, soloist, recording artist, chamber musician, and teacher. She was the first female Principal Flute of both the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the first woman to serve as flute professor at the Royal College of Music, the first woman to chair the British Flute Society, and the first woman jurist for the Kuhlau Competition.

Pictured here with Kevin Gowland, Deputy Head of the School of Wind, Brass and Percussion and Director of Woodwind, Susan said: ‘In 1997 I performed in my first Annual NFA Convention in New York. Since then I have visited United States almost every year, giving recitals and masterclasses in music schools and performing in five NFA conventions. To receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the greatest flute association in the world will be an honour, a privilege and a high point in my career. I shall treasure the moment and look forward to continuing to share my passion for the flute with my American friends, colleagues and young flutists in future visits.’

29 July 2019