Kate Milligan (b. 1996) is a Western Australian composer, designer, and musicologist currently based in the United Kingdom.

With a background in feminist musicology, Kate’s work critically examines the entanglement of social and natural phenomena. Fundamental to her practice is exploratory music notation, and the interrogation of audio-visual correlation through graphic, animated, and sculptural media. Her work is presented in a myriad of disciplinary contexts, from concert halls to galleries. 

She has been commissioned by electro-acoustic ensembles across Australia and the UK. Recent work includes a performance-installation for the London Symphony Orchestra Soundhub, and a spin-system instrument presented at the IRCAM Forum for spatial sound. 

Kate is a graduate of Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art, London. This study was generously supported by the Schenberg Music Fellowship and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust. She also holds a MMus (musicology) and a BA(Hons) (composition) from The University of Western Australia. Her writing on gender and aesthetics is published in both popular and academic contexts, notably including Limelight and TEMPO: A Quarterly Review of New Music, Cambridge University Press.

Current projects include a new audio-visual work for renaissance flute, to be premiered in 2024 at the WA Museum Boola Bardip, supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, APRA Art Music Fund, and TURA New Music. A collaboration with Jonty Coy (historical flutes, NL), and Olivia Davies (videography, AU), this project combines historical performance methods with experimental practice. The work is written for a specific flute, found recently on a Dutch shipwreck dating from the 1530s.

 

2023
Arts & Collections, "Royal College of Art Launches RCA2023 Events," 2023.
Simon Duff, "Pushing Boundaries," Morning Star, May 5, 2023.
London Symphony Orchestra, "Soundhub Showcase," April 15, 2023.
Kate Milligan and Matthew Woodham, "Spin Systems in Spatial Audio," IRCAM Forum, April 20, 2023.
Kate Milligan, "TÁR: fantasy or stark reality for women conductors?," Limelight Magazine, January 26, 2023.

2022
London Symphony Orchestra, “Four new composers appointed to LSO Soubhub,” November 14, 2022.
Kate Milligan, "Art, Nature, and the Language of Alluvial Gold," Resonate Magazine, August 1, 2022.
Lunchtime Concert Radio Broadcast, "Tura New Music: The Summers Night Project," ABC Classic FM, June 17, 2022.
Rosalind Appleby, "Composer looks to the past," Seesaw Magazine, May 9, 2022.
Hugh Robertson, "2022 Art Music Fund recipients announced," Limelight Magazine, April 28, 2022.
APRA AMCOS, "Art Music Fund 2022 recipients announced," April 28, 2022.
Lisa MacKinney, "Review: The Summers Night Project (Tura New Music)," Limelight Magazine, March 23, 2022.
Elise Chong, "Review: The Ad Lib Collective presents The Water Concerto," Cult Classical, March 11, 2022.
Gabriella Smart, "Cutting Edge: Slow Art," Limelight Magazine, February 21, 2022.
APRA AMCOS, "2022 Professional Development Awards finalists announced," February 10, 2022.
Kate Milligan, "Electroluminescence @ Lyric's Underground gets 9/10," X-Press Magazine, February 4, 2022.

2021
Perth Symphony Orchestra, "Perth Puts More Women on the Podium," November 12, 2021.
Leigh Harrold, "September Update: Slight Light," The Australian National Academy of Music, September, 2021.
Tanya MacNaughton, "Music royalty reigns for Perth Symphony Orchestra performance of Prince's music," PerthNow, May 14, 2021.
Jo Litson, "ANAM names the 67 composers participating in The ANAM Set," Limelight Magazine, April 14, 2021.

2020
Australian Music Centre, "2020 Summers Night Project - composers announced," Resonate Magazine, April 15 2020.

2019
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra, "WASO announces Emerging Conductor participants," December 19, 2019.
Rosalind Appleby, "Musical Journeys," Seesaw Magazine, November 23, 2019.
Tura New Music, "Decibel Performs New Commission by WA Composer," June 27, 2019.

2018
New Waves Radio Broadcast, "Breaking Out Act II," ABC Classic FM, January 17, 2018.

2017
William Huang, "Three Takes on Tura: a review of three concerts as part of the Totally Huge New Music Festival," Pelican Magazine, November 27, 2017.
Ruth Thomas, "Words with composers Kate Milligan and Nate Wood (Tura New Music)," Pelican Magazine, October 23, 2017.
Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, "Creation: The Dorothy Ellen Ransom Prize in Musical Composition," The University of Western Australia, August, 2017.

2016
Neville Cohn, "WASO bloods new composers," The West Australian, June 22, 2016.

Kate Milligan, headshot by Olivia Davies