Artistic Director - 12 Ensemble • Ruisi Quartet British-Italian cellist Max Ruisi has emerged as an innovative and expressive artist with an international career focused around his roles as cellist of the award-winning Ruisi String Quartet and Artistic Director of leading chamber orchestra 12 Ensemble. Max regularly performs in major concert halls and festivals throughout Europe, and has toured the US and Asia. He is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Wigmore Hall for 2023-25 as Artistic Director of 12 Ensemble, with whom he has released two highly successful albums, both receiving wide-spread critical acclaim. 2023 also saw the Ruisi Quartet's release of their highly praised debut album ‘Big House’. “Compelling spontaneity, breathtaking clarity, gloriously poetic and expressive" The Strad, 2023 Max has also featured on recent records for Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello quintet) and as a soloist for Decca. Recent highlights include giving the world premiere of a new work by Thomas Adès with the Ruisi Quartet at Wigmore Hall, plus directing the 12 ensemble at the BBC Proms and at the Barbican. Max enjoys collaborating with a wide range of artists, regularly working closely with leading composers (Jonny Greenwood, Thomas Adés, Bryce Dessner, Oliver Leith) and collaborating with contemporary artists (Nick Cave, The National, Laura Marling, Daughter).