Göttinger Symphonie Orchester & Nicholas Milton
Biography Göttinger Symphonie Orchester & Nicholas Milton
Nicholas Milton
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence, powerful interpretations and compelling musical integrity, Nicholas Milton continues to attract international attention as one of the most outstanding Australian conductors working today. In August 2018, he commenced an appointment as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra. Boasting a rich tradition dating back to 1862, this multi award-winning ensemble has established itself as a cultural jewel of the region, presenting some 140 performances a season in the city and throughout the state of Lower Saxony. As Chief Conductor in Göttingen, Nicholas Milton conducts repertoire extending from the Baroque through to wildly popular crossover and open-air events for tens of thousands of enthusiastic concertgoers.
In 2001, he commenced an appointment as Chief Conductor of the State Opera House in Klagenfurt, Austria. His first opera production as Chief Conductor in Carinthia's state opera house was a critically acclaimed Die Walküre, part of a brand new production of Wagner's Ring Cycle (Stage director, Aron Stiehl). In his previous position as General Music Director and Chief Conductor of the State Opera House in Saarbrücken, Germany (Saarländisches Staatstheater) (2014 – 2018) and as a guest conductor during the last seasons at the Deutsche Oper and Komische Oper (Berlin), Volksoper (Vienna), and in Dortmund, Leipzig, Linz, Innsbruck and Sydney, Nicholas Milton’s repertoire has included Tannhäuser, Der Fliegende Holländer, Salome, Peter Grimes, Kátja Kabanová, Tosca, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, La Fanciulla del West, Falstaff, Un Ballo in maschera, La Traviata, Hänsel und Gretel, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Die Zauberflöte. Future engagements for Opera Australia include La Bohème, Madama Butterfly and Die Zauberflöte at the Sydney Opera House. In the current season, he returns to the Deutsche Oper Berlin to conduct Tosca and Don Giovanni.
Nicholas Milton’s concert engagements include appearances with leading orchestras in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, Hungary, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Asia, among them, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg and Radiophilharmonie Hannover, SWR Radio Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Dortmund Philharmonic, Staatsorchester Wiesbaden, Staatsorchester Darmstadt, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Orchester des Nationaltheaters Mannheim, Bruckner Orchester Linz, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Sinfonia Varsovia, Nagoya Philharmonic, and China National Symphony Orchestra.
Appointed as the youngest-ever concertmaster of a major Australian orchestra, Nicholas Milton enjoyed a distinguished career as a violinist and chamber musician before dedicating himself exclusively to conducting. He was Concertmaster and Associate Conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Violinist of Australia’s Macquarie Trio. He also served as Chief Conductor of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Innviertler Symphony Orchestra (Austria), General Music Director of the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra (2004 – 2010), Principal Guest Conductor of the North German Philharmonic Orchestra in Rostock (2017 – 2019), and Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra (2007-2020). Since 2001, he has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra (Sydney).
Nicholas Milton studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Michigan State University, and at the Juilliard School in New York (Violin with Dorothy DeLay and Orchestral Conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller), as well as at New York's Mannes College of Music (Orchestral Conducting with Michael Charry and Theory with Carl Schachter and Robert Cuckson). He holds four Master degrees (Violin, Orchestral Conducting, Music Theory and Philosophy), and a Doctorate in Music from the City University of New York. Mentored at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki by the legendary Jorma Panula, he served as Assistant Conductor to Mariss Jansons on an extensive European and United States tour with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Milton won the 1999 Symphony Australia Conductor of the Year Competition and was a prize-winner in the Lovro von Matačić International Competition of Young Conductors. In 2001, Dr. Milton was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for Service to Australian Society and the Advancement of Music. He also received the 2014-15 College of Music Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University. In 2015, he was invited by the Australian Prime Minister to join the Australia- Germany Advisory Group and in 2016 he was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for Significant Service to the Arts as Musician, Conductor and Artistic Director.
Nicholas Milton’s discography includes over 60 CD recordings. He was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award in the category, Best Classical Instrumental Solo, for his recording with Joseph Moog of Piano Concertos by Grieg and Moszkowski. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin he has recorded a series of CDs devoted to exiled Jewish composers. Numerous forthcoming CD recordings with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern are scheduled for release on the Onyx, CPO and Naxos labels.
