EMI classics targets crossover for Maksim. (Classical news).

Mel Bush's magic touch with classical crossover acts has already worked wonders, yielding 8m worldwide sales for Vanessa Mae's pop classics and hits in more than 50 countries for Bond. His latest act, Croatian concert pianist Maksim Mrvica, was formally signed last week by EMI Classics at Abbey Road Studios.

The 27-year-old Maksim (pictured) studied at Zagreb's Music Academy before receiving further training at the internationally renowned Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. He captured first prize in the 1999 Nicolai Rubinstein Competition in Paris and topped the judges' list in the 2001 Pontoise Piano Competition. Meanwhile, he has developed a broad popular following at home in Croatia and in Austria.

Producer Bush was introduced to Maksim by Tonci Huljic, composer of several tracks on Bond's debut album. He spotted the player's classical crossover potential and recognised a gap in the market for sophisticated yet deliberately popular piano music. "I'd been looking for a concert pianist who could cross over into the pop world for a long time," he says. "It's been a long search to find the right player."

According to Bush, Maksim is light years away from ...