Robert Gruca is an exciting guitarist who performs a wide range of solo, chamber, and concerto repertoire. In recent seasons he has toured throughout the US and into Canada. He regularly performs as a solo artist and with flutist Linda White as part of the Gruca White Ensemble.
Possessing powerful musical interpretation and complete technical command over his instrument, Robert Gruca has earned several first prizes in national guitar competitions including Columbus State Guitar Symposium & Competition, the Appalachian State Guitar Festival Competition, and the East Carolina University Guitar Festival Competition. He was a top prize winner in the Rantucci International Guitar Competition and a semifinalist in the Guitar Foundation of America Competition and the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition. Other awards and honors include receiving the 2007 Distinguished Alumni award from Grand Valley State University.
To date, Robert has published two CDs. In his 2006 debut he recorded solo guitar works by Bogdanovic, Koshkin, Dyens, Rodrigo, Schubert and J.S. Bach. In 2012, Robert completed a recording of several pieces by Handel including some original transcriptions, released on the MSR label in 2012.
In addition to performing, Robert Gruca is a highly motivated and dedicated guitar instructor. He is currently certified in Suzuki Books 1, 2, and 3. Robert started the first Suzuki Guitar program in Northeast Ohio at the The Music Settlement in 2013 and continues to grow the Suzuki community there.
Highlights of Roberts seasons include touring the eastern United States and Europe with the Cleveland Orchestra, performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 under the direction of Franz Welser–Most. Other performances with the Cleveland Orchestra include Kurt Weill’s Little Three Penny Music, Igor Stavinsky’s Le Rossignol with Pierre Boulez and Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony with Howard Shore. Robert Gruca made his concerto debut performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Marquette Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Nuvi Mehta. Recent concerto performances include Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasia para un Gentilhombre with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra and the New Philharmonic both under the direction of Kirk Muspratt.
Robert Gruca has studied with John Holmquist and Jason Vieaux at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received a Master of Music degree. Previous teachers include Brian Morris of Grand Valley State University and Roger Humphrey of Olivet College. He has participated in master classes with such prominent guitarists as David Russell, Lily Afshar, Judicael Perroy, Stephen Robinson, Sergio & Odair Assad, Hubert Kappel, Antigoni Goni, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.
Listen to Robert

George Frideric Handel – Arrangements for Guitar
1-4: Sonata in A Minor, Op.1, No.4, HWV 362
Originally Recorder Sonata in A Minor, Op.1/4 (1725/26)
5-11: Suite No. 8 In D Major, HWV 441
Originally Harpsichord Suite No.8 in G Major (1739)
12-17: Suite No.7 In D Minor, HWV 432
Originally Harpsochord Suite No.7 in G Minor (1720)

Robert Gruca – Classical Guitar
1-6: 6 Balken Miniatures, Dusan Bogdanovic (b.1955)
7: Usher Valse, Nikita Koshkin (b. 1956)
8: Tango en Skai, Roland Dyens (1955-2016)
9: Invocacion y Danza, Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999)
10-12: 3 Songs by Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
13-17: Lute Suite BWV 997, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Reviews
Robert Gruca is a wonderful guitarist. His interpretation of Koshkin's Usher Waltz was second to none. Brian Morris, Grand Rapids Community College International Guitar Series
Robert Gruca’s powerful confidence is all to the service of his musical brilliance. This is a major talent! Jhon Akers, Troubadour Series - Wofford College
... it was dazzlingly performed [Roland Dyens' Tango en Skai] -- a great ending to an enjoyable night of fine music performed by a talented guitarist and musician [Robert Gruca] Kitchener-Waterloo Record
Gruca shaped with a fine blend of subtlety, tonal beauty and vibrant attack Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer commenting on Robert's performance of La Catedral by Agustin Barrios Mangore
Robert Gruca’s craftsmanship is exposed in extreme detail. Thoughtful tempos are porous and secure, and the expression of Handel’s music is ethereally delightful.Christie Grimstad, concertonet.com
Robert Gruca (who contributed the arrangement of one movement from the suite no. 8) plays with a firm but delicate touch, nicely communicating both the rhythmic vitality and the countrapuntal virtuosity of Händel’s writing, as well as the French influences in the suite no. 7.Rick Anderson, cdhotlist.com
American guitarist Robert Gruca is a brilliant player with gorgeous tone and a flawless sense of rhythm. I have rarely heard these works played with such finesse and understanding on either harpsichord or piano.Steven Ritter, Audaud.com
Schedule
Upcoming Performances
Past Performances
Sunday November 15, 2020 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm |
Drive by CD Purchase
The Music Settlement 11125 Magnolia Dr., Cleveland , OH |
On Sunday 11/15 from 2-3, we’ll be at The Music Settlement at University Circle, 11125 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland, 44106 for a social distanced/in person CD purchase event. Payments can be made with cash or venmo. CDs are $15. |
Saturday November 14, 2020 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm |
Drive by CD Purchase | On Saturday 11/14 from 2-3, we’ll be at 1287 Summit Ave., Lakewood OH, 44107. Stop by for a socially distanced/in person CD purchase event. CDs are $15 and can be paid with cash or VENMO. |
Friday November 13, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm |
Virtual CD Release | On Friday 11/13 from 7:00-8:00 PM (Eastern), we’ll host our Virtual CD Release on Zoom! Register now to ensure your spot. It will be a behind-the-scenes look at the process from beginning to end, a first listen to some of the tracks from the CD, and conversations with the composers. To register and receive the Zoom link, email us at hello@grucawhiteensemble.com with the subject line “CD Release”. |
Friday February 28, 2020 at 10:30 am - 1:00 pm |
Gruca White Ensemble Recording | Robert and Linda will be recording their debut album for PARMA RECORDINGS. Works include Homage to the Harvest Moon by Masamitu Takahashi, Dream of Yesterday and Tomorrow by Carl Dimow, Chamber Music by Ballake Sissoko, Use Me by Bill Withers, Spain by Chick Corea, Black Magic Woman by Peter Green, Lake Effect by Marshall Griffith, I Wish by Stevie Wonder, Shepherd’s Dream by Alan Thomas, and Soledad by Patrick Roux. |
Friday February 21, 2020 at 10:30 am - 1:00 pm |
Gruca White Ensemble Recording | Robert and Linda will be recording their debut album for PARMA RECORDINGS. Works include Homage to the Harvest Moon by Masamitu Takahashi, Dream of Yesterday and Tomorrow by Carl Dimow, Chamber Music by Ballake Sissoko, Use Me by Bill Withers, Spain by Chick Corea, Black Magic Woman by Peter Green, Lake Effect by Marshall Griffith, I Wish by Stevie Wonder, Shepherd’s Dream by Alan Thomas, and Soledad by Patrick Roux. |
Gruca White Ensemble
Since 2013, the Gruca White Ensemble has been entertaining audiences with their creative programs featuring music from multiple cultures and genres. Comfortable with both written and improvised musical forms, classical guitarist Robert Gruca and flutist Linda White stretch the boundaries of the standard classical concert by including original arrangements of rock, funk, Latin tunes, and free improvisation. Impressing audiences and critics alike, “The highlight of the evening was the set performed by flutist Linda White and guitarist Robert Gruca. Their performance of Chick Corea’s landmark composition “Spain” absolutely sparkled.” (Clevelandclassical.com, 2016). The Gruca White Ensemble presents multiple performances throughout the Cleveland area, and has been featured on WCLV’s “First Fridays” live radio broadcasts. Robert and Linda are both graduates of The Cleveland Institute of Music, holding Masters of Music degrees, and currently teach at The Music Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2020, the Gruca White Ensemble will be releasing their debut recording, A Different Take, through PARMA Recordings Big Round Records label.

The highlight of the evening was the set performed by flutist Linda White and guitarist Robert Gruca. Their performance of Chick Corea’s landmark composition Spain absolutely sparkled.ClevelandClassical.com
It’s one thing to create a varied setlist exploring one different genre after another, and quite another to pull it off as convincingly as the Gruca White Ensemble does on their latest CD.Read more – clevelandclassical.com
Contact & Connect
If you live in the Cleveland area and are interested in guitar instruction, please contact Robert Gruca through The Music Settlement.
For all other inquiries or concert bookings, please fill out the form, email rgruca27@gmail.com, or call 216-357-9803.
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