Cathy Milliken studied in Australia, majoring in performance (piano and oboe). A founding member of the Ensemble Modern, Germany, she has worked with musicians such as György Ligeti, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Fred Frith and Frank Zappa.

She has composed for concert, opera, radio, film, including for South Bank Centre London , the Berliner Staatsoper and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.  Prizes include “Prix Italia”, “Prix Marulic” and the “2016 Australian ArtMusic Award”. Former director of creative events and Education at Berliner Philharmoniker, she now also conceives and composes multi-disciplinary participatory music events around the world.