“When Ross Crean writes music it is not to casually entertain his listeners. No, instead he writes his music with a driven purpose of speaking from one heart to another. An attempt at communication that can be understood across the globe. His world is shaped by the reality before him, and he often uses music as his voice to speak out with questions regarding equality and social justice. When one hears his work, they hear stories accompanied by music that stirs you deep, undertones of humanity.” - Access Contemporary Music

Composing and creating music with a focus on the evocative and lyrical, Ross Crean began his professional music career as an operatic Bass-Baritone, specializing in avant-garde and Contemporary Classical music, many of which were his own works. A prolific collaborator, he has received commissions from and worked with numerous artists including internationally renowned mezzo-soprano Heidi Skok (formerly with the Metropolitan Opera), Oberlin College, Opera on Tap Chicago, and Loyola University Museum of Art. 

A graduate of Illinois State University in Music Theory/Composition, he has studied with Stephen Taylor, David Feurzeig, and Nancy Van de Vate. He began training in several vocal styles in his teens, including rock, opera, sean-nós (traditional Gaelic singing), and Indian and Middle Eastern vocal ornamentation. 

His emotionally-violent monodramas "Missa Dementia", "The Mysteries of Uncle Archibald", and "Xenophysius Obscura (The Stranger’s Nature in Darkness)“ brought the composer/performer much critical acclaim throughout Europe. In 2005, Crean founded his own record label, Knight & Thorne Music, and has performed worldwide as a solo artist. His musical work has been featured on Skope TV, Much Music, Fuse TV, and Comcast OnDemand. Ross was most recently signed to Navona Records/Naxos America to record his opera “The Great God Pan”, due out in Summer 2017. He is currently Resident Composer and Creative Director for Nebula Creatives, based in Chicago.