Half of classical chart-topping duo 2Cellos, Croatian cellist Stjepan Hauser is known for his crafty reworkings of both popular classical repertoire and pop/rock tunes for solo and duo cello. His 2010 solo debut Song to the Moon featured cello versions of pieces ranging from Saint-Saëns' The Swan to Ennio Morricone's "Gabriel's Oboe" (from The Mission) before he teamed up with Luka Šulic for 2Cellos' 2011 eponymous debut, a Billboard classical number one. As 2Cellos continued their run at or near the top of the classical and classical crossover charts while touring arenas, Hauser released his Sony Classical debut, Classic, in 2020. It saw him backed by the London Symphony Orchestra. 2Cellos returned with Dedicated in 2021, showcasing cello arrangements of pop and rock tunes by hitmakers spanning Bon Jovi and Simon Garfunkel.

Stjepan Hauser was born into a musical family in the city of Pula, where he began his formal education. He studied abroad in London and the United States, in the latter under the tutelage of celebrated American cellist Bernard Greenhouse, and began performing as a soloist, as well as with major orchestras, while still in his early twenties. In between releasing collaborative classical albums with violinist Marco Graziani (2009's Strictly Live) and pianist Yoko Misumi (2010's Portrait: Works for Cello and Piano), he self-released his solo debut, 2010's Song to the Moon. It offered a range of Romantic-era pieces as well as compositions from Astor Piazzólla and Ennio Morricone.

Hauser became an Internet sensation in 2011 after uploading a cello version of the Michael Jackson hit "Smooth Criminal," performed with friend and fellow cellist Luka Šulic. The pair inked a deal with Sony Masterworks and released their first album, 2Cellos, that June. It featured cello-centric covers of tracks from the likes of U2 ("Where the Streets Have No Name"), Kings of Leon ("Use Somebody"), and Nine Inch Nails ("Hurt"), as well as a new version of the Michael Jackson track that helped launch their pop careers. It reached number one on the Billboard Classical Albums and Classical Crossover Albums charts.

In2ition, released in 2013, mined the same pop/rock territory, with highlights arriving via classical crossover takes on songs from AC/DC ("Highway to Hell") and Coldplay ("Clocks"), and the Šulic and Hauser original "Orient Express. It peaked at number four classical. The duo's third studio album, 2015's Celloverse, included spirited takes on Iron Maiden's "The Trooper," AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," and Mumford Sons' "I Will Wait" that returned them to the top of the classical and classical crossover charts. 2Cellos next went to the movies with 2017's Score, which included material from film and television (Game of Thrones, Titanic, Chariots of Fire, Braveheart, and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring). A collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor and arranger Robin Smith, it became their fourth straight appearance in the Billboard 200 and their third classical number one. They went back to their pop- and rock-influenced style for the following year's varied Let There Be Cello, putting their unique spin on classic hits by the likes of Survivor, Led Zeppelin, and the White Stripes. Another classical chart-topper, it was accompanied by their first arena tour.

In early 2020, Sony Classical issued Classic, an album of well-known classical pieces recorded by Hauser with the London Symphony Orchestra. Before the end of the year, he followed it with Hauser Plays Morricone, a mini-album dedicated to the film composer. With 2Cellos still going strong, they released Dedicated in 2021. It peaked at number two on the classical chart. ~ James Christopher Monger & Marcy Donelson, Rovi