Some people search their whole lives to find the one
thing that really makes them happy, to find their whole
reason for living. Andre Rieu is one of the lucky ones.
Growing up in a musically-oriented family and the son
of a symphony orchestra conductor, Rieu’s love
of music blossomed as a young boy in the Netherlands.
As a young boy of only five, Rieu began his entrance
into the musical world, taking fiddle lessons. Each
week, he and his five brothers and sisters – all
of whom also played musical instruments – went
to see their father conduct his orchestra, a moment
of tremendous pride for the children.
More than three decades later, Rieu is now internationally
known as the “Waltz King of Europe.” Rieu
shares his musical talent with the world as a violinist
and orchestra conductor of the Johann Strauss Orchestra,
receiving rave reviews for his stage presence and unique
ability to captivate audiences, inviting them to waltz
in the aisles during his performances.
Rieu formed his first orchestra in 1987, and after
six months of rehearsing, he and his 12-member orchestra
gave their first performance. Almost twenty years later,
and the Johann Strauss Orchestra has grown to 43 members,
to whom Rieu refers as his family; for bigger stages,
the orchestra can swell to 50 members.
Describing the violin as romantic and warm, Rieu has
played numerous violins during his career. By far, his
favorite is his current violin, a creation of Antonio
Stradivarius, who crafted the violin when he was only
23 years old and newly married in 1667.
To date, Rieu has released some thirty-six albums,
including: “Love Songs” (2006), “Roses
from the South” (2005), “Romantic Paradise”
(2003), “Heartstrings” (2002), “Emperor
Waltz” (1998), and “In Concert” (1996).
Rieu has also performed for audiences worldwide and
has appeared in several PBS specials, such as “New
Year’s in Vienna,” and “The Flying
Dutchman.” He’s also received a long list
of awards and professional acknowledgements in his twenty-plus
year career. Among the awards on his mantelpiece are:
World Music Award (1996, 1998), Goldene Europa (1997,
2001), Goldene Henne (2001), and Ridder in de Orde van
de Nederlandse Leeuw (2002).
Rieu’s albums have also reached gold and platinum
status is many European countries, making Andre Rieu
concert tickets one of the hottest tickets to have on
the continent and here in the United States.
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