Background and career
Stjepan Hauser (Croatian pronunciation: [stjêpaːn xǎuser]; born 15 June 1986), known professionally as HAUSER, is a Croatian cellist. He was a member of 2CELLOS, along with his friend Luka Šulić, and continues to perform solo.
Hauser was born in Pula, Croatia, into a musical family, where he began his musical education. His mother plays percussion. His sister is a journalist in Pula. Hauser finished secondary school in Rijeka. He studied in Zagreb but moved to the United Kingdom where he studied under Natalia Pavlutskaya at Trinity College of Music (now Trinity Laban) London and completed his postgraduate studies with Ralph Kirshbaum as a Dorothy Stone Scholar at Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He also studied with Bernard Greenhouse in the USA.
Hauser has performed in more than 40 countries including debuts in Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Southbank Centre and many more. In October 2006, Hauser was chosen to perform at the gala at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence for Mstislav Rostropovich. Following this appearance, Hauser was invited to perform in numerous festivals in Europe. At the International Holland Music Sessions 2009, he was chosen to participate in the "New Masters on Tour" concert series, presenting young artists in prestigious concert venues all over the continent. In December 2007, Hauser played the Kol Nidre with the Metropolitan Sinfonia at a Gala Tribute Concert dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich. Subsequently, Hauser went on to perform and record as a solo artist including his recording of British composer Christopher Ball's First Concerto for Cello, written by the composer specifically for him. The album, Christopher Ball: Music for Cello, was recorded at the first live performance of the concerto in 2010, and features former Greenwich Trio member, Yoko Misumi, on piano.
On 11 June 2009, Hauser launched his channel on YouTube, which had since reached over 970 million views by June 2024. In January 2011, Hauser, along with friend and fellow cellist Luka Šulić, performed a cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" which was played solely on cello. In just a few days, the music video became a YouTube sensation. The album Hauser Classic was released on 7 February 2020, in which he plays alongside the London Symphony Orchestra. The album was produced by Nick Patrick. During the COVID-19 quarantine, unable to tour in support of his solo album, Hauser released three performances via live streaming. The first, Hauser: Alone Together, released on 27 April 2020 was performed at the Arena Pula, in Stjepan's hometown of Pula, Croatia, on the Istrian peninsula. The second, also titled Hauser: Alone Together, was performed at Krka National Park, at the Krka Waterfalls in central Croatia. The second video was released on 15 June 2020, to celebrate the artist's 34th birthday. The third, again titled Hauser: Alone Together, was recorded at Fort Lovrijenac in Dubrovnik, Croatia, recognisable to many fans from the HBO series, Game of Thrones. A special 2 disc edition of Hauser Classic is scheduled for October 2020 release. It includes a DVD of the three Hauser: Alone Together videos. The album Hauser plays Morricone premiered on YouTube on 27 October 2020.
In September 2022, Hauser announced his first solo world tour, titled Rebel with a Cello, following the conclusion of 2Cellos' final tour. The tour featured performances combining classical crossover repertoire with contemporary arrangements from his solo album The Player. In 2023, Hauser released his first holiday album, Christmas, featuring orchestral and choral arrangements of traditional Christmas music. Between 2024 and 2025, Hauser embarked on his second major solo concert tour, The Rebel Is Back, which included performances across Europe and featured guest appearances by violinist Caroline Campbell and soprano Amy Manford. In 2026, Hauser announced the cancellation of scheduled tour dates due to health issues requiring rest and recovery. In his post, he presented a photo of himself wearing a neck brace (soft collar).
Hauser has worked with cellists such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Bernard Greenhouse, Heinrich Schiff, Frans Helmerson, Arto Noras, Il Volo, Ralph Kirshbaum, Valter Despalj, Philippe Muller, Thomas Demenga, Young-Chang Cho, Reinhard Latzko, Karine Georgian, Roel Dieltiens, and Alexander Ivashkin. In early 2011, Hauser recorded an album with fellow Croatian Damir Urban. The album, the self-titled Urban and Hauser, was released in the summer of 2011. Also in the spring of 2011, he recorded an album with Croatian pop star Oliver Dragojević. The album, Noć nek' tiho svira, was released in October 2011. Also in 2011, they performed together in Pula. That fall, along with fellow 2CELLOS member Luka Šulić, he began touring as a member of the Elton John band. Since then, he has performed with the band hundreds of times, on tour all around the world, and in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Million Dollar Piano concert performance at the Coliseum at Caesar's Palace. In November 2011, he released another classical album: Brahms, Beethoven & Bruch for Clarinet, Cello & Piano, again with Ms. Misumi, and clarinettist Leslie Craven. In 2018 and 2019, Hauser released a series of videos with Uzbek-American pianist Lola Astanova on social media.
