Elmar Kruse

Elmar Kruse (* 21 November 1965 in Münster) is a media executive and owner of the music company C Major Entertainment, which is operating worldwide in the range of consulting, marketing and distribution of audio & audiovisual music programmes. Elmar Kruse and C Major Entertainment received three times the prestigious ECHO Klassik Award in Germany (in 2010, 2012 and 2015) for The Ring Cycle, Little Mermaid and Rosenkavalier.

Career
From 1993 –1997 Elmar Kruse was Head of Marketing and PR of the record company body IFPI in Germany. As Head of Marketing and PR, he created a strong public relations activity for IFPI. During this period, he started the record company prize ECHO KLASSIK. During this time and later, he co-produced some of the legendary Three Tenors shows and also later Pavarotti & Friends. 

He then started working as Label Chief of Philips Music Group Germany from 1998 – 2000. Kruse marketed the first Andrea Bocelli classical album in Germany. Philips sold more than 320,000 copies (Gold Status) within three months. Other artists were Alfred Brendel, Jessye Norman, Simon Rattle & Wiener Philharmoniker.

After working for Philips Music Group Germany as Director, he was part of expanding the business as Managing Director of EuroArts Music International (beginning from 2000 –2006) from a small independent audiovisual TV company to a Media company including a DVD Label. 

Since November 2006 Elmar Kruse is founder and owner of the music company C Major Entertainment GmbH, which is now the leading distribution company for classical audio-visual music worldwide.

Productions
•    Nijinsky– A Ballet by John Neumeier; A co-production with NDR Arte, C Major Entertainment, NHK, 2018
•    The Three Tenors – from Caralla to the World (TV title),  The Three Tenors – Voices for Eternity” (Film title); A coproduction with C Major Entertainment, WDR, BR, Stageaccess, Signed Media, Servus TV, Decca, 2020
•    Jonas Kaufmann – It´s Christmas (original title: Weihnachten mit Jonas Kaufmann), ZDF, 2020 
•    A Midsummer Night’s Dream – A Ballet by John Neumeier; Hamburg Ballet and C Major Entertainment, 2021
•    The Lucky Tenor – Zum 75. Geburtstag von José Carreras; C Major Entertainment, Sounding Images, BR, WDR, 2021
•    Renée Fleming – Cities that sing – Episodes Paris / Venice; A co-production of IMAX and Stageaccess in cooperation with C Major, 2022-2023 
•    Jacob Collier plays Baloise Session, C Major Entertainment, Session Basel, 2024 
•    My Favourite Melodies – Víkingur Ólafsson, ZDF/ARTE, C Major Entertainment, 2025 
•    Felix Mendelssohn: Sommernachtstraum in Sanssouci – Premieres Revisited – C Major Entertainment, Heliodor Productions, ZDF/ARTE, 2025 

Honors and Awards
•    Echo Classic Award 2010: The Ring Cycle
•    Echo Classic Award 2012: John Neumeier - Little Mermaid
•    Echo Classic Award 2015: Rosenkavalier
•    Golden Prague Award 2018: Nijinsky