2 Cellos Join Elton John in Australian Tour Dates

Having spent the European summer touring with Elton John, it's now Australia's turn to welcome 2 Cellos to its shores.  The Croatian-born duo will be performing live alongside the Rocket Man at each and every date across the country starting this weekend.

Cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser arrived this week to continue to tour world-wide with Elton John and promote their self-titled debut album which is out now through Sony Music Entertainment Australia.

These two young Croatians are certainly living the dream!  Based in a small town in Croatia, the 24-year-old music students posted a self-made music video of them performing Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" on their cellos and posted online. The long-time friends received more attention than they ever expected - within days, the video became a viral sensation and received millions of views. It got the attention of SONY MASTERWORKS who signed them to a record deal.

Concurrently, they received a phone call from legend Elton John who invited them to join him on his European tour this summer. "I feel so blessed that all of this is happening – a record deal with SONY and a tour with Elton John – who would have imagined?!" relays Stjepan Hauser. 

Their debut album features Sulic & Hauser's unique spin on hits by Guns N' Roses, U2, Coldplay and Kings of Leon among others. "We grew up with Michael Jackson, U2 and Nirvana. The melody and structure of their songs really inspired us to arrange them for 2 cellos. Bands like Coldplay, Kings of Leon and Muse also write songs with those similar melodic qualities – so we had a great time digging in and making them part of this album too," says Luka Sulic.

Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser have been playing the cello since childhood. Both recently completed their studies – Luka at the acclaimEd Royal Academy of Music in London, Stjepan at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Luka has performed throughout the world at renowned venues such as London's Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Vienna's Musikverein and Konzerthaus. He has won a series of international prizes including first prize at the 2009 VII Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in Warsaw. Stjepan has performed in numerous European countries, South Africa, New Zealand, Asia and the U.S., with debuts in London's Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, South Bank Centre and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. He was the last pupil of Mstislav Rostropovich. In his short career, Stjepan's accolades include winning twenty-one first prizes in national and international competitions and performing twice for Prince Charles in Buckingham and St. James's Palace.