Ulla Miimann is a Danish flutist. She is principal flutist of the National
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (DNSO; ), is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The DNSO is the principal orchestra of DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). The DRSO is based at the Koncerthuset () concert hall in Copenhagen.
Histo ...
and an associate professor of flute at the
Royal Danish Academy of Music
The Royal Danish Academy of Music, or Royal Danish Conservatory of Music (), in Copenhagen is the oldest professional institution of musical education in Denmark as well as the largest, with approximately 400 students. It was established in 186 ...
.
In 1994 Miilmann was appointed principal flutist at The Danish National Symphony Orchestra at the age of 22. Since then she has had an extensive career in orchestra and chamber music as well as in teaching.
In 2007 she was a US Grammy nominee in the category ”Best instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra” for the recording of
Ole Schmidt Ole Schmidt Pedersen (14 July 1928 – 6 March 2010) was a Danish composer and conductor.
Biography
Born in Copenhagen, Schmidt was self-taught, before studying composition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He came to public notice after com ...
’s Flute Concerto.
Since 2009 she has been part of the flute faculty at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. In 2021 she was appointed associate professor of flute at the institution.
Mrs. Miilmann has received the Jacob Gade Honorary Award, the Danish Music Critic’s Prize and the Peter Warming Memorial Prize, the latter awarded for her artistic contribution to the Danish National Symphony Orchestra greatly helping the orchestra to reach the high international standard of today. In 2017 she received the largest honorary award in Denmark, The Carl Nielsen Award for her outstanding musicianship and contribution to the Danish music and cultural life for the past 25 years.
In 2023, she recorded the Nielsen flute concerto for Deutsche Grammophone, which won the BBC Music Magazine “Best Concerto Album of the Year”
Biography
Miilmann was brought up in Vemmedrup near
Køge
Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a Danish seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland (Zealand), Denmark. In 2025, the ...
in the south of
Zealand
Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...
. Her interest in the flute started at the age of eight when she the saw instrument being played on a television programme. Two years later, her parents gave her a flute for her birthday. When they saw how interested she had become in playing it, they arranged for her to have music lessons in
Hillerød
Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Copenhagen Philharmonic in 1990.
In the 1980s, it became fashionable for teenagers to go to America as exchange students. Miilmann received a place at the School of the Arts in
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. She quickly adapted to the school's intensive curriculum, practising every day from 5 a.m., then following classes until late in the afternoon. She remained at the school until she was 20, successfully completing her education with a bachelor's degree in 1992.
The years she had spent there had however been quite a strain. As a result, when she returned to Denmark at the age of 20, she took on a job as a postman. But when she saw an advertisement for a post with the
Royal Danish Orchestra
The Royal Danish Orchestra (Danish: ''Det Kongelige Kapel'') is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events. The Royal Dani ...
, she immediately started to practise again, gaining admission when she was just 21. The following year, she became solo flautist with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra attached to
Danmarks Radio
DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...
, a position she still holds today.
Miilmann also plays in the Danish Radio Woodwind Quintet which she helped to establish in 1999. She has appeared as a soloist with all the major orchestras in Denmark and has played with other notable soloists including the pianist Katrine Gislinge and the violinist
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer (; born 27 February 1947) is a Latvian classical violinist, artistic director, and founder of Kremerata Baltica.
Life and career
Gidon Kremer was born in Riga. His father was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust. His mother had ...
. In 2002, she appeared with the
Philharmonia Moment Musical
The Philharmonia Moment Musical (PMM; ) is a non-professional symphony orchestra in Taiwan. It was founded in February 1999 by the Taiwanese conductor Po-Po Chiang. From 2002, PMM was selected as quality group of performing arts by Taiwan Council ...
at a Danish music event in
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
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.
In February 2006, Miilmann received a Grammy nomination for "Best Soloist Performance with Orchestra" for her recording of
Ole Schmidt Ole Schmidt Pedersen (14 July 1928 – 6 March 2010) was a Danish composer and conductor.
Biography
Born in Copenhagen, Schmidt was self-taught, before studying composition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He came to public notice after com ...
's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra. Although she did not win the award, the nomination and her treatment at the event in Los Angeles encouraged her to stick to playing the flute at a time when she had been considering moving into another profession.
In January 2014, Miilmann was the soloist in
Carl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer.
Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he d ...
's
Flute Concerto A flute concerto is a concerto for solo flute and instrumental ensemble, customarily the orchestra. Such works have been written from the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day. Some major compose ...
which she first played when she was about 13 years old. "It's only over the past four or five years that I have really begun to understand it... The older I get, the more I am ready to follow my inner feelings, even though they may not be in line with the accepted traditions. In this way, for the first time I can see I am beginning to understand Carl Nielsen's Flute Concerto."