Rene Gruss is one of the most compelling and accessible voices to have emerged on the music scene in decades.

This maverick of Global Music was born in Wellington, New Zealand, to a Czech father and Greek-Romanian opera-singer mother, and his new album Bellatrix has a unique, international sound reflective
of his background.

Gruss, who operates between London and the U.S., writes, produces and funds his work independently, through his record label Urban Classical. This independent approach has won him admirers from Harvard academics and professionals to hip-hop artists and celebrity musicians. One of them, is Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, who chose Bellatrix as one of his Top Ten classical recordings for Classic FM's The Secret Fan show.

As a composer of music with crossover appeal, Rene writes, produces and funds his own work independently. His music is regularly played and he sells CD's to people all over the world, from Japan and Norway to Australia and the USA. Fans of Rene's music range from doctors in Manhattan and University Dons in Oxford, to house wives in Sydney and hip hop fans in Detroit.

Rene's musical roots are classical. He only uses natural instruments in his writing and only real musicians in performance. His inspiration comes from everyday life and his work blends the old with the new to create a rich, contemporary classical street sound.

He is, in person, exactly what his music is a breath of fresh air - thoughtful, articulate
and graceful.