Interview: Greg Milliren at Lakes Area Music Festival

Greg Milliren is a Twin Cities–based flutist and musician. He performs with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Lake Area Music Festival, and he also offers private lessons.

We chat with Greg about music, life as a professional flutist, and what he loves about Minnesota.

What inspired you to pursue a career in music?

As a young person I realized that I felt most authentic and natural when playing music. I had worked hard at being a good flutist and was even a bit competitive about it. Around the time that I had to make some decisions about my future after high school, I was a good enough flutist that my professional mentors told me that I could succeed in the field if I wanted to. I grew up in the Milwaukee area, and my experience performing with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony gave me an almost intoxicating desire to explore the amazing art form of orchestral music and try my hand at becoming a professional orchestra musician myself. 

Why did you choose the flute specifically?

A lot of musicians have a story about hearing the sound of their instrument at a concert and totally falling in love with it, or maybe a relative played the same instrument growing up. Not so with me. There were no other musicians in my family and I mostly my dad played pop music from the 50’s and 60’s in the house so I didn’t really have the sound of any particular orchestra instrument in my head. I started piano lessons in first grade, but when I was a 4th grader the way it worked at my school was you met with the band director if you wanted to learn a band instrument in the 5th grade. He would recommend what instrument you should try and he told me I should play the flute. I don’t really remember why he decided that for me, but in any case I was the kind of kid who would just do what the teacher said. So I did. My parents found me a flute and eventually a private teacher. Luckily I really took to it.

What do you enjoy most about being a musician?

I love that I have the ability to make something so simple as the movement of my air into a rich and beautiful sound that somehow has the ability to move hearts and minds, express emotions, and even explore what it means to be human. It’s endlessly fascinating and I take a lot of pleasure from refining my craft to make that meaning ever more clear and impactful.

Do you have a favorite piece in the flute repertoire? Why does it speak to you?

If you’re not very familiar with flute repertoire and are willing to listen to something long-form, I’d highly recommend you check out the Flute Sonata by Sergei Prokofiev and the Concerto for Flute by Christopher Rouse. Both works have moments of such stunning beauty and expressiveness, but also take you on a journey that will get your heart racing and pack a punch.

What do you hope audiences take away from your performances?

I want to convince people that making the world a more beautiful place is a fundamental value we all share. Any artistic experience is a chance for you to make space for yourself, connect your spirit and your mind, and have a one-of-a-kind moment that will never be felt exactly that way ever again. I think that music, especially “abstract” music without words which is mostly what I do, excels at taking us out of the daily troubles of our lives, away from the incessant gaggle of our thoughts, and for that period of time provides a respite and a pathway to our own creative selves.

Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations you're especially excited about?

I’m very much looking forward to the Lakes Area Music Festival concerts I’m playing in August. I’ll be playing on the opera Hansel and Gretel by Humperdink, and Shostakovich’s 9th Symphony. These are both going to be such fun programs.

Thank you Greg for your time!