Strahinja Mitrović’s introduction into the world of classical music was an accident in both the physical and metaphorical sense. Originally from Serbia, Mitrović, 24, took part in both athletics and football from a young age. However, after two hip injuries and a warning from his physiotherapist uncle, he hung up his football boots and put sport behind him. Turning his attention to other pursuits, he decided to study music in high school, where he discovered the classical side of the subject.
After his professor clocked that he had a good ear for it, they recommended to Mitrović and his parents that he should take his musical studies further and enrol in a specialist school. When the time came to select a string instrument as part of his further studies, Mitrović originally wanted to play the cello, but his mother decided on the double bass due to someone in her own childhood playing it. “I didn’t really know what a double bass was at that time, so I wasn’t happy about it,” he says. But, after some lessons, he came round to the idea and began enjoying the new instrument.
During this time, he became integrated with a group of fellow students and joined a chamber group that was formed of high-achieving string instrumentalists. Although his peers were more advanced than he was at the time, Mitrović – who was recently named a Classic FM rising star of 2025 – chose to use this as motivation to improve his own abilities rather than be intimidated by it. “The environment was very driven and everyone involved was doing it for the love of music,” he tells me. These early formative years of education, combined with his first performance with the group, created an intoxicating mix that drew the young musician into the industry. “I knew then this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he says.
from left: MCQUEEN; PATRICK MCDOWELL
When contemplating which university to go to, it was an offer from the late, great double bassist Rinat Ibragimov, who Mitrović had been taking lessons with, to come and study in London at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama that became the deciding factor. While figuring out the logistics, he was then recommended, and subsequently applied for, the SBB Foundation sponsorship, which he received, and it became his golden ticket to Guildhall.
Since arriving in London in 2019 to begin studying his four-year BA Music course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Mitrović has cemented his legacy within the academic institution. A double bassist typically plays at the back of an orchestra and is mostly considered to be a supporting instrument. However, his performances take the double bass centre stage and give it nothing but main character energy. In addition, during the fourth year of his course, Mitrović took part in the Guildhall’s Gold Medal competition, in which instruments from all departments compete in three rounds. His skill not only won him the competition, but also made him the first double bassist in Guildhall’s history to do so.
Additionally, he began studying with a cellist professor in his fourth year. “It’s really rare to have a professor that plays a different instrument. It gives a unique perspective to my studies and was part of the reason I decided to do my MA here. It’s given me a lot,” he says. He kindly credits the professors that have taught him along the way as his influences and inspirations, along with the likes of artists such as fellow Serb Marina Abramović. “I’m very inspired by strong personalities, strong identities and, above all else, authenticity,” he says.
from left: PATRICK MCDOWELL; VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
When asked about his view on today’s classical music industry, after I admitted to him my own pre-conceived judgment about how it can look somewhat rigid from the outside, he says, “I think classical music is in a strange place right now. The scene is trying to be progressive but gets lost in tradition. As a performer, you need to respect the composer’s viewpoint, but you can’t always know what the composer originally thought. We’re performing something which has been around for hundreds of years and has been played thousands of times. There needs to be more space for innovation, which I think could bring in new audiences. It’s not as accepting of change as, say, the fashion industry is,” he says.
Fashion is a key ingredient in his own recipe of how he is challenging tradition within classical music. Men are typically expected to wear black suits for live classical music performances; however, Mitrović typically opts for a satin shirt, cummerbund and a tailored wide-leg suit trouser. “I’ve been given a few comments and looks in the past, but never been told I can’t perform because of what I’m wearing. I’d rather miss a couple of performances than go on stage dressed in something I don’t feel comfortable in. Every part of me when I perform is an element of my vision,” he says, holding his own authenticity, a trait he mentions inspires him in others.
His flair for fashion, and undoubtedly his musical abilities, caught the eye of British designer Patrick McDowell, who invited him to play as part of his SS24 London Fashion Week show, which was staged at the Guildhall. That was where I first saw him perform and a testament to how he’s reaching new audiences in his own right. Watching Mitrović play is like witnessing a delicate dance, not between two people, but like a Grand Prix test. By that I mean in dressage, where horse and rider perform a series of movements together in perfect harmony through an unspoken language. Although they are entirely different disciplines, his passion-packed performances share parallels with that of equestrians.
PATRICK MCDOWELL
Mitrović understands, possibly more so due to his sporting background, that it’s not enough to just have talent in the creative arts. “During lockdown, I wasn’t working out and I could feel the difference, both in my mental state and my playing,” he says. This is why, post-pandemic, he decided to take up the gym again and now goes twice a week. “My double bass is taller than I am and has physical demands when playing, so it’s important that it’s part of my routine, whether I have performances or not.”
He’s now in the first year of his two-year MA Performance course at Guildhall, also on a scholarship, so I’m keen to understand what his plans are for the future. “In the short term, I’ve got my debut performance at Wigmore Hall in April [as part of a quartet] and I’m also taking part in the Chipping Campden Music Festival in May [in the Cotswolds]. Long term, I’m lucky if I can have a classical music career for another 40 years. I hope I can bring a fresh perspective to the industry through how I approach my work.” It seems that with the alchemy of his trusty double bass, a wide-leg trouser, a forward-thinking attitude towards the industry he hopes to inhabit and, of course, authenticity, Strahinja Mitrović is a clear example of the new classical-musician generation that will be responsible for taking the art form into the next quarter of the 21st century, one string at a time.
Taken from 10 Men Issue 61 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands now. Order your copy here.
ACE OF BASS
Photographer JOSHUA TARN
Talent STRAHINJA MITROVIC
Text JORDAN WAKE
Fashion assistants GEORGIA EDWARDS and JOSHUA BEUTUM
Location Milton Court Concert Hall, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
