Stephen Milling

{{short description|Danish operatic bass}} {{Update|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Stephen Milling | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1965}} | birth_place = Copenhagen, Denmark | education = Royal Danish Academy of Music | children = 3 | awards = Seattle Opera's Artist of the Year Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording Grammy Award for Best Classical Album }} '''Stephen Milling''' is a Danish operatic bass who has had an active international career since the mid-1990s.<ref name="La Phil">{{Cite web |title=Stephen Milling |url=https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/artists/3642/stephen-milling |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=LA Phil |language=en}}</ref> Although his repertoire encompasses a wide range, he is particularly known for his roles in the operas of Richard Wagner.<ref name="Schmopera">{{cite web |last1=Simeonov |first1=Jenna |title=Stephen Milling |url=https://www.schmopera.com/scene/people/stephen-milling/ |website=Schmopera |access-date=16 July 2023 |language=en-ca}}</ref><ref name="HarrisonP">{{cite web |title=Stephen Milling |url=https://www.harrisonparrott.com/artists/stephen-milling |website=HarrisonParrott |access-date=16 July 2023 |language=en |date=2 March 2018}}</ref><ref name="BNO">{{cite web |title=Stephen Milling |url=https://bno.no/eng/people/stephan-milling-kladd |website=Bergen Nasjonale Opera |access-date=17 July 2023 |language=en |date=August 2022}}</ref>

==Career== Born 1965 in Copenhagen, Milling studied voice at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and has been a member of the Royal Danish Opera since 1994,<ref name="La Phil" /> serving as a principal bass from 1994–2012.<ref name="ROH">{{cite web |title=Stephen Milling |url=https://www.roh.org.uk/people/stephen-milling |website=Royal Opera House |access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> In addition to his operatic performances, he is a concert artist and has performed with well-known conductors throughout Europe.<ref name="HarrisonP" />

===Debuts and early performances=== * In the 1999-2000 season, Milling made his La Scala debut as Don Fernando in Beethoven's ''Fidelio'' under conductor Riccardo Muti.<ref name="BNO" /> * Soon afterwards, he made his American debut with the Seattle Opera, singing Fasolt in ''Das Rheingold'' and Hunding in ''Die Walküre'' in Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen''.<ref name="La Phil" /><ref name="BNO" /> * He returned to Seattle as Gurnemanz in ''Parsifal'' for which he won the opera's Artist of the Year award in 2003.<ref name="Seattle Opera" /> * In 2004, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in the role of Sparafucile in ''Rigoletto''.<ref name="Metopera">{{cite web |title=Stephen Milling |url=https://www.metopera.org/discover/artists/baritone-and-bass/stephen-milling/ |website=www.metopera.org |access-date=16 July 2023 |language=en}}</ref> * He made his Royal Opera debut in 2005 as Hunding in Die Walküre<ref name="ROH" /> * He also sang the roles of King Marke at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sarastro in ''The Magic Flute'' at the Royal Opera, London, Gurnemanz and King Marke at the Vienna State Opera, and Rocco at the Liceu.

===2009 to present=== Highlights of Milling's career since 2009 include: * The Verdi ''Requiem'' with Mariss Jansons and the Berlin Philharmonic (2010)<ref name="Digital Concert Hall">{{cite web |title=Verdi's »Messa da requiem« |url=https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/305 |website=Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall |access-date=17 July 2023 |language=en |date=13 March 2010}}</ref> * King Marke in ''Tristan und Isolde'' with the Seattle Opera (2010).<ref name="Seattle Opera" /> * King Philip in ''Don Carlos'' at the Vienna State Opera * Fafner in ''Siegfried'' and Narbal in ''Les Troyens'' at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia with Valery Gergiev * Hermann Landgraf in ''Tannhäuser'' and Sarastro in ''The Magic Flute'' at the Copenhagen Opera House * Hagen role debut in Götterdämmerung at the 2015 Bayreuth Festival under Kirill Petrenko<ref name="Wagner Operas">{{cite web |title=Reviews, Casts, Schedules, and News from The 2015 Bayreuth Festival |url=http://www.wagneroperas.com/indexbayreuthfestival2015.html |website=Wagner Operas |access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="BNO" /> * Gurnemanz in ''Parsifal'' at the Staatsoper Stuttgart * Sarastro in The Magic Flute under the stage direction of Simon McBurney at the Bergen National Opera in Norway (2022)<ref name="BNO Magic Flute">{{cite web |title=The Magic Flute |url=https://bno.no/eng/performances/2022/tryllefloyten |website=Bergen Nasjonale Opera |access-date=17 July 2023 |language=en |date=November 2022}}</ref> and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (2023)<ref name="Metopera 2023">{{cite web |title=Die Zauberflöte |url=https://www.metopera.org/season/2022-23-season/die-zauberflote/ |website=www.metopera.org |access-date=17 July 2023 |language=en}}</ref> * Daland in ''The Flying Dutchman'' <ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-01 |title=Wagner's début: the Royal Opera's 'Flying Dutchman' |url=https://www.thearticle.com/wagners-debut-the-royal-operas-flying-dutchman |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=TheArticle}}</ref>

==Awards and Recordings== Milling received the Gladsaxe (Denmark) Music Prize in 1997. The prize is awarded each year to a young performing musician of "considerable talent."<ref name="Gladsaxe">{{cite web |title=Gladsaxe Musikpris |url=https://gladsaxe.dk/kommunen/borger/kultur-natur-og-fritid/prisuddelinger/gladsaxe-musikpris |website=gladsaxe.dk |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref>

In December 2000, Milling performed Narbal in ''Les Troyens'' by Hector Berlioz with Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.<ref name="HarrisonP" /><ref name="Amazon Berlioz">{{cite web |title=Berlioz: Les Troyens |url=https://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Troyens-Hector/dp/B000063DQA |website=Amazon |publisher=London Symphony Orchestra |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref> A recording of this performance won Grammy Awards for Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording in 2002.<ref name="Awards">{{cite web |title=Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/best-opera-recording-271.html |website=Awards and Shows |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="IMDb">{{cite web |title=Grammy Awards (2002) |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000301/2002/1/ |website=IMDb |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="Grammy">{{cite web |title=44th Annual GRAMMY Awards |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/44th-annual-grammy-awards |website=Recording Academy Grammy Awards |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref> In April 2002, Milling sang the same role with the Chicago Symphony under Zubin Mehta.<ref>{{cite web |title=Concert Annals: CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Barenboim Years 1991 - 2006 (Part 2) |url=https://concertannals.blogspot.com/2017/01/chicago-symphony-orchestra-barenboim_22.html |website=Concert Annals |access-date=16 July 2023 |date=22 January 2017}}</ref>

The Seattle Opera awarded Milling its Artist of the Year Award in 2003 for his portrayal of Gurnemanz in Parsifal.<ref name="Seattle Opera">{{cite web |last1=Dean |first1=Jonathan |title=A Chat With STEPHEN MILLING |url=https://www.seattleoperablog.com/2010/07/chat-with-stephen-milling.html |website=Seattle Opera Blog |access-date=16 July 2023 |date=28 July 2010}}</ref>

A number of recordings that include Milling are available on CD. In addition, a 2009 production of Der Ring des Nibelungen that was staged in Valencia by the Spanish group La Fura dels Baus under the direction of Zubin Mehta is available on DVD.<ref name="Amazon DVD">{{cite web |last1=Mehta |first1=Zubin |title=Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen |url=https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Ring-Nibelungen-Juha-Uusitalo/dp/B003ZKLDPI |website=Amazon |publisher=C Major Entertainment |access-date=16 July 2023 |date=16 November 2010}}</ref>

==Personal life== Milling grew up in the village of Annisse by the lake Arresø in Denmark.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}} Milling is married and has three sons. He has taken his family to Seattle for rehearsals, starting when his youngest was only 13 days old.<ref name="Seattle Opera" />

==References== {{Reflist}} *[https://seattleopera.blogspot.com/2010/07/chat-with-stephen-milling.html Seattle Opera blog]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milling, Stephen}} Category:1965 births Category:Danish opera singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Copenhagen Category:Operatic basses Category:Royal Danish Academy of Music alumni