Miloš
“Love at first listen” is how Miloš describes the moment when, as a child in Montenegro, he first picked up the old guitar that was lying around his childhood home gathering dust. Montenegro in the early 1990s was not an obvious gateway to future classical success, hence his family were cautiously supportive when, aged 14, Miloš decided to go to a specialist music school rather than a grammar school. Leaving the Balkans and arriving in London to take up a coveted place at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music was, he says, “a bit like going to Mars. I was clueless.”
 
Fast forward to 2010, Miloš signed his first record deal with the classical label Deutsche Grammophon and before long, he was performing sell out concerts as a soloist with international orchestras and in recitals. He appeared in some of the most important concert halls and at major festivals around the world, while continuously topping music charts with his best-selling recordings. One of the highlights of that period was his solo guitar recital at the Royal Albert Hall to a full house, which was the first of its kind and much lauded by the critics.
 
Miloš’ early albums, ‘Mediterraneo’ and ‘Latino’, were hugely successful, while his 2014 recording of Rodrigo’s concertos with the London Philharmonic and Yannick Nezet-Seguin had the Sunday Times calling him “The King of Aranjuez”. His 2016 record, ‘Blackbird – The Beatles Album’, which included duets with Gregory Porter, Tori Amos, Steven Isserlis and Anoushka Shankar, was received with unanimous acclaim.
 
However, his career was almost dramatically cut short when, at his peak, he was struck down by a hand injury which left him unable to play. With a new record in development and a major international concert tour already booked for the 2017-18 season, Miloš was forced to pull out of multiple engagements, with no real sense of if or when he might recover. He recalls: “It was a really tough time. Being faced with the question, ‘what am I going to do if I can’t be a guitarist? It, was terrifying. Being a musician is all I ever knew.”
 
Thankfully in August 2018, fully recovered and mentally as well as physically stronger, Miloš made a triumphant return to the stage.  In front of 6000 people at the BBC Proms, he performed the world premiere of Joby Talbot’s guitar concerto, ‘Ink Dark Moon’ written especially for him, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
 
Committed to commissioning new repertoire for the guitar, Miloš joined the NAC Ottawa in May 2019 to perform the world premiere of ‘The Forest’ by Howard Shore.  The concerto was recorded and will be released on Decca along with the Talbot Concerto in 2020. 
 
Highlights of Miloš’ 19/20 season include performances of the Talbot concerto with the Atlanta Symphony and Borusan Orchestras, solo recitals at the Wigmore Hall, the Verbier and Rheingau Musik Festivals, as well as a major tour of the ‘Voice of the Guitar’ programme with the 12 Ensemble throughout the UK, USA and Asia.
 
In autumn 2019, he released his fifth album, entitled ‘Sound of Silence’: a musical treasure trove that includes brand new arrangements of classical repertoire, affectionate nods to the pop world, and collaborations with friends. “Sound of Silence is my reflection on that time. It’s a personal scrapbook of music that will always have a special meaning to me.”
 
12 Ensemble
The 12 ensemble is a pioneering un-conducted string orchestra rapidly developing a reputation as one of the UK’s leading chamber orchestras. A modern, versatile and virtuosic ensemble, the group is built around a core of twelve of London’s finest chamber musicians. Always playing without a conductor, the ensemble’s world-class performances combine the energy, excitement and creativity of a small ensemble with the breathtaking sound afforded by a string orchestra.
 
Formed in 2012 by Artistic Directors Eloisa-Fleur Thom and Max Ruisi, the 12 ensemble’s unique approach to performing and programming sets them apart as a revolutionary classical ensemble for the 21st century. Exploring great music of the past alongside ground-breaking new commissions and evolving genres, the ensemble sets itself no limits and reaches diverse audiences with world-class performances. Flexible both in spirit and in size, alongside the core setup of 12 players the group performs in formations ranging from duos to 23 strings and beyond.
 
The 12 ensemble are in demand internationally, recently performing at leading venues including the Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Philharmonie and Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg. The group have also made appearances at leading festivals worldwide, including a debut at the BBC Proms 2019, a residency at the Barbican’s Sound & Visions festival and performances in South Korea and Iceland, plus multiple broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. Their 2018 debut album Resurrection (including works by Lutoslawski and premiere recordings of works by Bryce Dessner & Kate Whitley), received wide critical acclaim from publications including Gramophone, The Strad and The Sunday Times.
 
Following the success of their debut album, the 12 ensemble will release their second album Death & the Maiden in January 2020. With their own arrangement of Schubert’s iconic string quartet at its heart, the record is a highly-charged personal journey through an evolving musical landscape, featuring accompanying works by Tavener and Icelandic band Sigur Rós plus a new commission from the ROH Composer in Residence Oliver Leith.
 
Members
1^st Violin: Eloisa-Fleur Thom
Eloisa-Fleur Thom is a prize-winning violinist, director and curator. Highlights of her career so far include performing J.S Bach's Concerto in d minor for Two Violins with the celebrated violinist Maxim Vengerov, chamber music with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, and Arvo Pärt’s Fratres as soloist at the BBC Proms 2019 with 12 ENSEMBLE.

2^nd Violin: Roberto Ruisi
Roberto Ruisi is a British violinist studying at the RCM with Professor Ani Schnarch. In his formative years, he was appointed Leader of the NYO of Great Britain and has gone on to feature as guest Concertmaster of both L'Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Dublin. In 2019, Roberto won the strings final of the ROSL Competition and gave his soloist debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall.

Viola: Asher Zaccardelli
Asher Zaccardelli was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied music at the Royal Academy of Music, London and has since enjoyed a diverse career as a violist. Asher was recently appointed Assistant Principle Viola in the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Cello: Max Ruisi
British/Sicilian cellist Max Ruisi has emerged as a charismatic and expressive young artist with an international career built around his love of chamber music. Cellist of the award-winning Ruisi Quartet, Max is also the founder and Artistic Director of the 12 ENSEMBLE. He has performed in major concert halls and festivals throughout Europe, North America and Asia, and has recorded as a soloist for Decca Classics with Ola Gjeilo. Recent highlights include appearing as a soloist at the Barbican and co-directing the 12 ENSEMBLE at the BBC Proms 2019.

Bass: Sam Becker
Graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, London University and based in London, Sam Becker is a double bassist and particularly interested in improvisation, world and orchestral music. He contributed to BBC Young Musician podcast in 2018 and engaged in different genres, like classical, chamber, jazz and folk music.