‘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 classical music, hence his family were cautiously supportive when, aged 14, MILOŠ decided to go to a specialist music 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’.
Fast forward to 2010: MILOŠ signed an exclusive recording contract with the legendary classical label Deutsche Grammophon and before long he was performing sell-out concerts as a soloist with international orchestras and in recitals. He has appeared in some of the most important concert halls and at major festivals around the world, while continuously topping music charts with his bestselling 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. He returns to the Royal Albert for a ‘recital-in-the-round’ on 12 May 2021.
MILOŠ’s early albums Mediterraneo and Latino were hugely successful, while his 2014 recording of Rodrigo’s concertos with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin had the Sunday Times hail him ‘The King of Aranjuez’. His 2016 record, Blackbird – The Beatles Album, was received with unanimous acclaim, as was his fifth studio album Sound of Silence, released in 2019 and showcasing a musical treasure trove including brand new arrangements of classical repertoire, affectionate nods to the pop world, and collaborations with friends.
This year, MILOŠ celebrates 10 years with Universal Music and will release a new album presenting the world premiere recordings of two new guitar concertos in April, both written especially for him and inspired by his unique heritage. Joby Talbot’s ‘Ink Dark Moon’ received its world premiere at the BBC Proms in 2018 at the Royal Albert Hall, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, while MILOŠ joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa for Howard Shore’s ‘The Forest’ in 2019. The album showcases his commitment to commissioning new works for the guitar and cements his role as a pioneer and innovator of contemporary guitar repertoire for the ages.
Taking every opportunity to promote classical music to the widest possible audience, MILOŠ often finds himself in the role of a radio and TV presenter. He is a passionate supporter of music education and acts as a Patron of the Mayor of London’s Fund for Young Musicians and the Awards for Young Musicians. MILOŠ records exclusively for Decca Classics. He lives in London and performs on a 2007 Greg Smallman guitar.