Croatian cellist finds a second home

When Rucner reached her teens and wanted to share her love of classical music with her friends, she found that the beautiful melodies were difficult for them to understand. This was her initial motivation to explore other musical genres such as pop and rock, aiming to find an innovative way of expressing traditional melodies and also herself.

"It was much harder to mix traditional sounds with pop, rock, singing and dancing, as we didn't have (much access to) the internet 20 years ago. I just wanted to express my music and my life's moments. Classical music is amazing, but we should also be allowed to express everything we feel. You just have to dare to try," says Rucner.

The uniquely blended classical, modern, ethnic and world musical elements later became the basis of her international success and onstage performance. Rucner was the first Croatian musician to play the electric cello, attracting a large crowd of younger fans. Her popularity extended out from her native country, spreading the pure joy of music globally.

In 2010, Rucner visited Beijing and joined Beijing Satellite TV's Spring Festival gala to play Antonio Vivaldi's Storm from The Four Seasons, marking the beginning of her story with China.

"When I felt the air and atmosphere in China, I knew I would come back. I feel free to create and be who I am here. I have never felt so much kindness, patience and warmth from people. Chinese audiences are amazing, and I want to share everything I have with them," she says.

That is what the cellist has been doing. She had a photo of herself taken at the Great Wall included in her music video Destiny, which was arranged from Beethoven's Symphony No 5 and filmed in Croatia on the Walls of Ston, the world's second-largest wall.