Ana Rucner (Zagreb, February 12, 1983) is a Croatian cellist who performs on concert stages in Croatia and abroad. She is recognized for her performance approach that connects classical music with modern, ethno, and contemporary musical expression.
She comes from a distinguished Zagreb family of academic musicians – her mother Snježana Rucner (cello), father Dragan and brother Mario Rucner (viola). She has been playing the cello since the age of seven. She began her musical education at the Elly Bašić Music School and graduated from the Music Academy in Zagreb in 2005.
She is one of the first cellists in Croatia to introduce the electric cello into her repertoire, thereby expanding the performance possibilities of the instrument and opening space for new musical forms and audiences.
In 2016, she represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm with the song “Ljubav je” (Love Is).
Since 2023, she has been actively working in China, where she performs at cultural and musical events, collaborates with Chinese artists and orchestras, and develops projects that connect Croatian and Chinese musical and cultural scenes.
In 2025, she participated in the international project One World, One Family in India, which entered the Guinness Book of Records as the concert with the largest international symphony ensemble, bringing together hundreds of musicians and singers from dozens of countries around the world.
In the same year, she became a global “Pioneer Experience Ambassador” for Waterfall AI and part of the global TCL brand campaign in March 2025.
For her work, she has received numerous domestic and international awards. Among the most significant is the international award Das Goldene Stadttor (Berlin), awarded for the music video Ode to Joy, filmed to promote Croatia, often referred to as the “tourism Oscar.”
Throughout her career, she has collaborated with numerous distinguished musicians and ensembles, including:
In recent years, she has established significant collaborations with Yamaha – Shanghai, performed at major musical events in China such as Music China Expo and China International Import Expo (CIIE), Shanghai Spring Festival Gala, and collaborated with Mercedes-Benz.
2009. Ana Rucner was a promoter of dm’s project “You Are You Are You – Initiative for Life Confidence” and donated two concerts (June 8 at the Bundek Lake summer stage in Zagreb, and the second held on July 1 as the overture to the Split Festival at Split’s Prokurative).
As part of the project, Ana Rucner dedicated the proceeds from her two concerts to the establishment of the Center for Psychological Assistance and Treatment of Eating Disorders, which was founded at the Clinic for Psychological Medicine of the Zagreb University Hospital Center.
In January 2016, Ana Rucner performed in Georgia as a guest of the “Wish Tree” association, founded by opera singer Nino Surguladze to help sick children. The performance was part of a humanitarian mission.
The concert was broadcast live by Georgia’s most famous television station Rustavi2 and was followed by more than 5 million viewers, which was also excellent promotion for Croatia. The importance of this concert, as well as the work of the humanitarian association Desire Tree, is evidenced by the fact that representatives of the association and all performers were received by Georgian Patriarch Ilia II and Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
15 Years of Love for the Joy of Children in Baranja (2017): A grand concert organized with Rotary Club Zagreb to mark her career anniversary.
Performance at a Historic Ceremony (2025): She performed at an event that brought together 450 musicians from 60 countries, entering the Guinness Book of Records, with the concert aimed at promoting unity.
Frequent Humanitarian Performances: Rucner often participates in concerts to help those in need, promoting culture and music.
“Ana in the City” is Ana Rucner’s long-running original musical project, designed as a combination of classical music, public space, and cultural accessibility. The project began in Dubrovnik and over the years has grown into a recognizable cultural event.
