Chris Craker has operated at the very forefront of the music industry for over 25 years. He has won numerous awards and been acclaimed for his activities as a performer, recording artist, composer, arranger, producer/engineer, record label founder, artist manager, author, crtic, industry commentator, strategic advisor, and most recently as the General Manager and Senior Vice President of the International Division of Sony BMG Masterworks, where he maintained offices in both London and New York. He resigned from that position in April 2008 and is now fully independent once more. In addition to consulting to a number of high profile music, media and arts organisations, Chris is working in conjunction with related industry partners in telecommunications and film, as well as managing a couple of highly talented acts including one of the most talked about young pop bands to emerge from the UK - four young guys from The Brit School called FRANKO and another truly outstanding talent in the singer song-writer Joe Acres. Chris is also building a state of the art luxury residential recording studio complex in Thailand which will be opening in early 2009.

In an illustrious career since the early 80s he has produced over four hundred classical, jazz and pop recordings and has gained a unique position as one of the most respected record producers based in the UK, responible for selling over ten million records. His activities have also taken him extensively throughout Europe, America and the Far East working on projects for BMG, EMI, Decca, Virgin, PolyGram, Universal, Sony Classical, Koch, ASV, Naxos and Marco Polo (as well as 30 other independent record companies).

From his state of the art post-production studio in London, Chris forged a reputation for quality, running one of the most innovative and efficient recording facilities, providing A&R concepts for many of the major labels and technical facilities through his company Black Box Music Limited. In April 1998, he launched his own record label, Black Box. Now owned by Universal, the label maintains the reputation as one of the first and independently most successful elite boutique labels in the classical and jazz fields.

Chris has worked with many of the world's finest orchestras and soloists. He has acted as a concept provider for various music products marketed by PolyGram/Universal, Sony, Decca, EMI, Classic FM/BMG and Virgin Classics, often managing every stage of the creative process from the A&R and concept development through to providing the finished master and advising on global strategic marketing. A notable initiative on this front includes the award winning eight disc series for EMI Classics taking place in London and New York, featuring the London Symphony and the New York Philharmonic Orchestras, while other highlights include Vince Mendoza's recently released cross-over album. 'Epiphany' featuring the LSO with jazz icons Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie and many other stars. He co-produced the Chris de Burgh 'Live in Bangkok' album for which he was also Musical Director and conductor for the live shows. In 2002 Chris was Executive Producer and was responsible for the international marketing campaigns for Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts' Big Band albums, recorded live at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in London. And recent collaborations have been with the Number One best selling composer Karl Jenkins, producing the new cross-over classical/world music album 'Tlep' for Sony BMG, featuring the virtuoso violinist Marat Bisengaliev, the Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra and Kazakhstan's very finest folk musicians. Chris also conducted the Kazakh premiere in Astana in the presence of His Royal Highness, Prince Andrew. Chris was the Executive Producer for the Royal Wedding CD celebrating the marriage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker-Bowles. He has also worked with icons from the world of film and TV including Brooke Shields, Joanna Lumley, Rik Mayall, Stephen Fry, Christopher Lee, Patrick Stewart and many others. Classic FM's 'Composer in Residence' Patrick Hawes is also a long time collaborator with Chris - following on from the success of 'Blue in Blue', his new album 'Toward the Light' was a big hit, while Classic FM's new tenor, Alfie Boe's debut album was also produced by Chris and has been the catalyst for a glittering 'rags to riches' career for the young tenor. As Executive Producer for the new recording from the world's most celebrated guitarist, John Willams, (live in concert with jazz guitar icon, John Etheridge), Chris has covered all styles of music from early classical to contemporary jazz and pop - having massive chart success in South East Asia with a number of pop artists throughout the late 90s.

Over the past ten years Chris has frequently undertaken recording projects in the USA and Asia, and has formed a strong link with many recording artists in those territories. In the USA primarily with the soloists of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, while in South East Asia, he has produced more than ten recordings in Thailand featuring the compositions of His Majesty The King of Thailand, King Bhumipol Adulyadej. Chris was selected to produce the music for the Asian Games, for which the hit theme song 'Reach For The Stars', performed by Sony BMG pop artist, Ta Ta Young, sold over 2.3 million copies and went straight to Number 1 in the pop charts. In the summer of 2006, Chris produced two albums specifically in honour of His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadej's 60th Anniversary on the throne in Thailand - one featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the other, recorded in Bangkok, featuring arrangements by Privy Councilor, HE Rear Admiral Mom Luang Usni Pramoj with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.

Also active as an author of books about music, Chris has three books currently available in seven languages worldwide. The first in the series, Get Into Classical Music is accompanied by the CD of the same name featuring recordings from the Naxos catalogue, while Get Into Opera and Get Into Jazz have been co-productions with Sony and Universal (Verve), respectively.

Before devoting his time to the record industry, Chris was well known as one of the leading clarinettists in the UK - frequently performing, touring and recording with the many of the major London orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Chamber Orchestra, as well as working extensively with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the City of London Sinfonia and the Prometheus Ensemble (one of Britain’ s premier chamber ensembles) of which he was the founder member and artistic director for ten years.

As an experienced performer, record company executive, musicologist/author, record producer and engineer, Chris is also in demand as an industry spokesperson on radio and TV, sitting on the BPI Classical Committee in London and acting as a strategic consultant to numerous organisations (agents, broadcast and media companies) and as an adjudicator for a number of International Music Competitions around the world, including the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Prize, the Uralsk International Violin Competition and various pop and songwriter competitions.

Do check out FRANKO at www.myspace.com/frankoUK and JOE ACRES at www.myspace.com/joeacres