The 12 ensemble join Elena Tonra (vocalist/guitarist of Daughter) for a unique, re-imagined performance of her solo record, Ex:Re. To celebrate the one year anniversary of its release, London’s leading string orchestra bring a renewed perspective to this acclaimed album with brand new arrangements from Tonra’s close collaborator and Ex:Re band member Josephine Stephenson. A special commission for Venus Unwrapped by Kings Place.

Elena Tonra assumed the pseudonym Ex:Re (pronounced ex ray) for her eponymously-titled debut solo album, a deeply personal record that was made with both a sense of urgency and a cathartic need. Tonra’s candid solo songs document the time after a relationship ended and are written like unsent letters to herself and others. Taking on a creative moniker, she chose Ex:Re to mean ‘regarding ex’ and also ‘X-Ray’ as a way to look inside and see what is really there. Writing took a year but the recording process lasted mere months, turning to Fabian Prynn (4AD’s in-house engineer and producer) and composer Josephine Stephenson on cello to help bring Ex:Re to life.

Josephine Stephenson is a Franco-British composer, arranger and performer based in London. Her music has been commissioned by institutions such as the BBC, Radio France, Wigmore Hall, Spitalfields Music and Nonclassical, and performed by artists including the London Sinfonietta, Stargaze, Sinfonia Viva, Miroirs Étendus, The Hermes Experiment, Explore Ensemble and the Van Kuijk Quartet. She regularly collaborates with film and theatre makers as well as songwriters and bands. She is co-artistic director of the London-based concert series and record label Listenpony, which puts on events mixing contemporary classical music with older classical music and popular genres.

The 12 ensemble has rapidly developed a reputation as one of the UK’s leading string orchestras. A bold, versatile and virtuosic ensemble, the group is built around a core of twelve of London’s finest and most exhilarating chamber musicians. Always playing without a conductor, the ensemble’s performances combine the raw energy, excitement and creativity of a string quartet with the breathtaking sound afforded by twelve brilliant string players.

‘The 12 ensemble render the entire programme with fearless resolve.’ Gramophone Magazine