Montenegro-born guitarist Miloš to be BNO guest soloist in his first appearance with a symphony orchestra in Spain

From January 24th to 31st the Orchestra will once again light up the four Season Concert stages with a programme featuring the Spanish symphonic debut of Miloš, a young Montenegro-born guitarist who has taken the international music scene by storm. Miloš will join the Basque National Orchestra, conducted for the first time by Michael Francis, in a performance of one of the most popular works in the classical guitar repertoire, Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. The programme will also include Masques et bergamasques by Gabriel Fauré and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique". The concerts will be held in San Sebastián on Friday, January 24th and Monday, January 27th at the Kursaal; in Pamplona on Tuesday, January 28th at the Baluarte; in Bilbao on Wednesday, January 29th at the Euskalduna; and in Vitoria on January 31st at the Teatro Principal.

Miloš Karadaglić (Montenegro, 1983) rose to international fame in 2011 with his debut album The Guitar (Mediterráneo), which in the space of just a few months, topped classical charts around the world. His second album, Latino (Pasión), released in 2012, received both the Classic Brit and the Echo Klassik award, in the UK and Germany, respectively. Miloš' passion for the guitar is matched with an intuitive sense of how to bring the instrument across to his public - whether it be for an audience of 3000 in a major concert hall or an intimate chamber music performance for 100 people. This highly talented soloist enjoys performing in world-class venues such as London's Royal Albert Hall, where he debuted last season, and in non-traditional venues such as New York's Le Poisson Rouge, London's Camden Roundhouse (iTunes Festival) and Deutsche Grammophon's Yellow Lounge club nights in Madrid, Berlin, New York and Seoul. In February, Deutsche Grammophon, for which the guitarist is an exclusive recording artist, will release Miloš's Concierto de Aranjuez by composer Joaquín Rodrigo.

The Orchestra and Miloš will perform under the baton of Michael Francis, who debuts this season as BNO guest conductor. Appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor to Sweden's Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Michael Francis has worked closely with a number of well-respected musicians, including violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter.

Saturday January 25th, Miloš will offer a solo concert as part of the Matinees at Miramon series. The Montenegro-born musician will play music byJ.S. Bach, J. Rodrigo, M. de Falla and C. Domeniconi at the Orchestra's headquarters. On occasions like this, the BNO chamber music series offers a unique opportunity to enjoy internationally acclaimed soloists like Miloš in a more intimate atmosphere. The Basque National Orchestra chamber music series is dedicated to bringing audiences high-quality performances in a small-scale format.

Miloš to teach a master class to students of Musikene. As part of the preferential cooperation agreement, Aula Jordá Gela, signed by the Basque National Orchestra and Musikene, three 3rd and 4th year guitar students from the Higher School of Music of the Basque Country will have the opportunity to attend a master class on January 30th given by Miloš at the Orchestra's headquarters in Miramón. The Orchestra and Musikene joined forces in 2011/2012 to offer activities of this type to develop the careers of future professional musicians. This programme allows students to interact with consecrated musicians or play with the Orchestra at its concerts. On previous occasions Musikene students have had the chance to attend master classes by clarinet player Martin Fröst, conductors Andrés Orozco-Estrada and José Miguel Pérez Sierra, and Wolfram Christ, conductor and solo violist for the Berlin Philharmonic.