The secret of André Rieu Chapeau Magazine, July 6, 2024, Column by Jo Cortenraedt Translated by Ineke, edited by Diana D. Le It must have been about the two-hundredth (or who knows, three-hundredth) André Rieu concert that I experienced live this week, this time again at the Vrijthof in Maastricht. The violinist with the flowing hair has entered my life since the Maastricht Salon Orchestra. I have attended his concerts in Melbourne, Tokyo, Cape Town, São Paulo, Mexico City, and God knows how many other cities. You know in general terms what is coming and yet it remains worthwhile, especially for the audience in the hall, which in Rieu's situation is usually a stadium or hall. Or a square. His concept has been written off for years by many “experts”, reviewers and other insiders. But it is still very much alive, in fact, his fans are getting younger and younger. The expectation that his elderly supporters would thin out automatically did not materialize. What's the secret? Very simple: the almost childlike but very pure enthusiasm of André Rieu himself and his wife Marjorie, who thinks along behind the scenes when it comes to the content of the program. Those two still have the most fun. And that reflects on the audience. During the encores, I stood near the stage with our cameraman on Thursday evening, and I once again saw a man who, at the age of 74, was enjoying himself like a child. And at the same time he keeps an eye on everything and leaves nothing to chance. He sees everything and everyone, he is the director of a film in which he plays the leading role. It is purely that enthusiasm that comes across to the audience. The people in a room or on a square feel whether something is made up or real. Comparisons with classical concerts by, for example, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic are pointless. That's a different department, a different audience. At Rieu’s, it is by no means all classical music and when classical pieces are played, they are given a tasty smooth sauce, making them easy to digest for an audience that is not trained in listening to heavy music. But a completely different repertoire is also played and that mix creates a party evening, with a whole crowd going wild. Different from Pinkpop but certainly no less atmospheric. That authenticity is also reflected in Emma Kok, a girl who lives for her music and yet stands there very tough and full of self-confidence at the age of 16, singing like an international star. This does not happen automatically, in addition to talent, it also requires a lot of dedication. And Phil Bee, our “Joe Cocker” from Mheer (town), was also pure. I have known him for several decades from another life, but he is as happy as a child that he can sing there on the big stage on the Vrijthof. His Sweet Caroline was a hit with everyone and backstage Phil was almost out of breath from the emotion, he thought it was all that “cool”. Creating that atmosphere is much more difficult than it seems, but André Rieu succeeds again and again. On the one hand by preparing everything very professionally down to the last detail, but on the other hand by being completely himself on stage. This means that this success formula is far from worn out.

André Rieu, a blessing for Maastricht Chapeau Magazine, by Jo Cortenraedt, July 5, 2024 Translation Ineke, edited by Alice Leung July was traditionally a quiet month in the city center of Maastricht. Many city residents were on holiday and tourists avoided the city, especially on hot days. But since André Rieu's Vrijthof concerts – this year for the eighteenth time – July has become a record month, especially for hotels and restaurants. Entrepreneur Berry Kuzelj is eternally grateful to the musician. With four businesses in the city center, Berry Kuzelj is a busy entrepreneur. He has been active in the catering industry for almost forty years and now, together with his wife and children, he owns three businesses on the Vrijthof (Britannique, Aux Pays Bas and Monopole) and one around the corner (Amadeus). While he was used to the city only starting to come alive again when the people of Maastricht returned from holiday, this has been very different since André Rieu's initiative. “I remember well that André Rieu called me on a Sunday morning to ask if he could come by with the then mayor Gerd Leers. Yes, of course he could, but I had no idea what he had in mind. I brought in my colleague Ber Rekko and we heard his plans. He already had in mind exactly what that should look like. He needed our cooperation to give those concerts at the Vrijthof. I immediately saw the benefits, especially because he was so generous that he did not need any of the terrace packages that we were able to offer. As long as we cooperated, didn't play our own music and didn't serve alcohol during the concert itself, but before and after. I realized then that this was a golden opportunity to put the Vrijthof on the international map and that is what happened. During the first year I had to do my best to convince some colleagues, because some wondered whether this was not jeopardizing their normal turnover. Well, you don't hear anyone squeaking anymore, everyone is very satisfied with it.” Permanent customers The first year there were three concerts in one weekend and that was already considered a great success. “Back then we mainly saw local people on our terraces, but now they come from seventy to eighty countries. We have regular guests from Argentina, from Brazil, from Australia. Truly incredible. Some not only come to eat with us and enjoy the concert, but also sleep in the hotel above the Britannique. And during the day you often see them again for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie.” July is now an absolute top month for entrepreneur Kuzelj, especially now that it concerns three weekends with a total of twelve concerts. “We have more than five hundred seats on the three terraces, so that means we have to work hard in the kitchen and service. But we have the arrangement set and we now work with about ten members of the family. It's also fun to do that job together, especially with such a great atmosphere.” Statue According to Kuzelj, the entire city benefits from the Vrijthof concerts, not just the entrepreneurs on the square. “All hotels are full, people visit the city during the day, sit on a terrace, go shopping. André Rieu is truly a blessing to the city, he deserves a statue. The suppliers are also having a heyday, every morning the trucks are unloaded so that they can serve the people in the evening.” “It never becomes completely routine, but it does not make us nervous. Fortunately, we have enough staff on those days. Many employees from the past come back especially, they find it extra fun and don't want to miss it. It's such an international atmosphere, really great. The only stress factor is the weather, because it is an outdoor event. The rain radar is closely monitored. In all those years it has only gone wrong a few times when the rain was a spoilsport. Sometimes we went through the eye of the needle, then there was a shower before or after the concert. They sometimes say: God is a Maastricht resident; that could well be the case. In any case, we as entrepreneurs hope that André Rieu will continue at the Vrijthof for years to come. I don't want to think that it will ever stop.”

RTV Maastricht, July 16, 2024, by Jo Cortenraedt Translation Ineke, edited by Diana D. Le Family feeling predominates in André Rieu's orchestra The musicians of the Johann Strauss Orchestra, with which André Rieu travels the world, feel that they are members of one musical family. The orchestra consists of many nationalities, but there are also many musicians from Maastricht. Frank Steijns Perhaps the best-known member of the Johann Strauss Orchestra is Frank Steijns. A pure Maastricht resident with the associated humor that puts things into perspective. Nevertheless, Frank is very serious about his profession as a musician. He has been a member of the Johann Strauss Orchestra for 30 years and has not regretted it for a day. Frank has become André Rieu's musical right-hand man. “Frank is better at music theory,” says André Rieu. “So if I come up with a certain arrangement, I bring Frank in to write it out, he is better at that. I think I paid less attention in theory lessons in the past, haha.” Multi-instrumentalist Frank Steijns is primarily a violinist, but plays the piano just as easily. And he is also a famous carillon player. He has already climbed many churches and bell towers in the Netherlands and abroad to let his sounds roll over the city. “It's nice that with André we have so much freedom as musicians, also to do our own things outside the orchestra. Of course, we have to be present when he needs us. We are indeed one musical family. We travel around the world together and you now know each other inside and out. All these tours give us the unique opportunity to discover many countries with all those different cultures. That is enormous wealth. But we are always happy to return to Maastricht, that is my home base.” Interest in history In the orchestra, Frank takes special care of the young singer Emma Kok. “It is fantastic how she has developed in a short time. She has been on tour for a whole year now, which means she has had to attend distance education. When it comes to history, I can help her a little.” His interest in history is also reflected in his involvement in supporting various projects for the preservation of cultural heritage in Maastricht. “That heritage makes Maastricht unique, but it must all be cherished. I am happy to commit myself to that.” René Henket A well-known face in the orchestra is certainly trumpeter René Henket. He has been playing with André Rieu for 36 years, he says proudly. “Our collaboration started in 1988. I was only in the second year of the Conservatory and André was still playing in the LSO (Limburg Symphony Orchestra). In between, he did New Year's concerts with about twelve people and I was the only brass player. That program was called 'Wien bleibt Wien' (Vienna remains Vienna). It wasn't a full-time job at the time, so I could just finish my studies.” Henket also studied school music and conducting. “I enjoy teaching. I do this a lot at home, usually to trumpet players and especially those who sometimes encounter blockages. I have special measuring equipment that allows us to study techniques to deal with breathing differently, for example, which is very important for a wind player. I do this in a small studio at the back of the garden of our house.” We complement each other After the conservatory in Maastricht, Henket also continued his studies in Cologne. “My father, who was also a brass player, advised me on that. If I came to play in Germany for my career, at least I would have the right papers. Of course, I didn't know then that the whole project around André would grow so enormously, that is unimaginable. I still enjoy every day. That's also because we have a great group. There is no mutual competition, as you sometimes hear from some orchestras. Within the wind group we complement each other and we know each other's qualities. That happens automatically.” Henket on Rieu's style The trumpeter, who, like most members of the Johann Strauss Orchestra, is classically trained, loves the style of André Rieu. “Our music performances are more accessible than the 'heavy orchestras'. That's just different. In our case, this ensures that you can reach more people because the threshold is lower. We are in the fortunate position that we can make many people around the world happy, which is satisfying.” Joline Soomers For “only” five years, Joline Soomers from Maastricht has been singing in André Rieu's choir. That was a dream of hers when she studied at the Tilburg Conservatory, musical theater department. “Most of my fellow students wanted to do musicals. I didn't think that was wrong in itself, but in the Johann Strauss Orchestra, that seemed completely crazy to me. I was able to audition through various channels and a week later, I was already on stage in Germany. Then it happened very quickly.” Things stagnated for a while due to corona, but then Joline was able to pick up the thread again. “Yes, it is full-time, so you are busy with it a lot. Although sometimes I also sing solo with a brass band or something. And together with two colleagues in the choir we sometimes perform as a trio (VerrasSing), which is also great fun.” Joline enjoys the audience's reactions the most. “Every evening is an experience. You really feel how the audience reacts. And we also have a very nice club, as I call the choir. It's really nice.” Joline about traveling For Joline, traveling has now also become a permanent element in her life. “That can be tough at times, but we are very well looked after, everything has been made as comfortable as possible. I think it's especially great about the older orchestra members that they still go everywhere with them. But the best part of all that traveling is coming back to Maastricht. And then, those concerts on the Vrijthof, we experience that as unique. It is the city where I started learning violin and piano as a 7-year-old child. And when you see where you are now, yes, that is really incredible.”

Chapeau Magazine. July/August 2024, by Jo Cortenraedt, photocredits: Janita Sassen and ARP Translation: Ineke, edited by Diana D. Le André Rieu: “I still enjoy it very much” A world star who will turn 75 on October 1, 2024. The Maastricht stand-alone-violinist and conductor who has been stringing together successes for years, but who also had to fight for a long time to get this far. The tank of energy is far from empty. Chapeau has been following André Rieu since the early years and is now taking stock with him. An interim balance as far as he is concerned. He does not hide the fact that he will soon reach the respected age of 75. But it is not a signal for him to retire after all. That word alone is probably too much for you to say. “I don’t care about retirement. I sincerely wish it for everyone who is looking forward to it. But for me, music is my life, together with my family, my orchestra, and my employees. I am grateful that I can still make it and I think it is also good for you if you stay active for as long as possible.” Intensive exercise is also intended for that purpose, to be able to remain on the podium. “It's good to exercise anyway. I've always done that. For example, I used to play tennis. In recent years, I have been following a strict program with my trainer Ruud Pansier to do power training, among other things. Because as you get older, you lose muscle mass. You can counteract that as much as possible with that kind of training. Otherwise, it would be impossible to stay on stage all evening.” BIOLOGICAL You have also completely adjusted your diet. “Yes, I have also started living more consciously in that area. I follow a certain diet with, for example, sufficient proteins and, above all, lots of vegetables, but unsprayed. Because I really suspect that all those chemicals on the vegetables in the store are not good for you. That is also the reason why we started growing vegetables at home with the help of the gardener. That has really become a hobby and I notice that the organic vegetables from my own garden also have much more taste.” Cooking has become a relaxation. "You can say that. Marjorie used to cook and now I do, at least when I'm home. It is indeed relaxing for me. The kitchen is fully equipped for me to indulge.” Many people think that wine is part of good food, but not for you anymore. "No, I'm quite consistent in things and when my trainer said that alcohol breaks down muscle mass, I stopped taking it, because I train to strengthen those muscles. I don't miss the alcohol, I still enjoy my life just as much." MEXICO You are in good health, but in the spring things went wrong in Mexico, where you had to cancel four of the six concerts. What was going on? "We indeed had six sold-out concerts there, but I was only able to play two of them. I had only had 1 day of rest when we returned from Abu Dhabi and in combination with contracting the flu, the time difference, and the smog there, it became too much for me. I could not do it anymore. So all in all, it wasn't that well planned. Too bad for the people who bought a ticket. Of course, they got their money back. We are going to Chile and Colombia after the summer. That's also a long way, but it was booked well in advance and there is more time in between in terms of preparation. I can imagine that we will focus more on Europe in the future. There are many suitable locations there. It remains special to travel with the entire orchestra and also to perform on foreign stages, but we have to pay close attention to the balance." FORMULA 1 (Car races) In any case, you have traveled a lot in the past year and also made special performances. Such as in Zandvoort (NL) and Bahrain. Could that still be added? "Special occasions regularly arise that we would like to participate in. This applies to the entire orchestra. In Zandvoort (town) last year at the Grand Prix we were on the track with the entire orchestra just before the start. It was special. We played the "Second Waltz" together with a DJ – that was an idea of the organization – and although it is strange to combine a waltz with disco beats, it was still fun, something goes through your mind with that crowd of people. I don't think Max Verstappen (Dutch best race car driver) was unaffected either. When you see all those people waving the flags in the packed stands, it really is a goosebump moment special. We rarely visit the Middle East, but Bahrain is an exception, it is different than you would expect. The King's minister personally called. The King is a real fan. We went there in February for an outdoor concert at the desert, where a theater has been created in the ground. The King wanted to meet everyone from the orchestra personally. It is striking that they are relatively liberal in that country. There is also interest from Saudi Arabia, but that is too strict in terms of culture for me. For example, in Bahrain you are not thrown in jail if you are gay. Well, handy, since we have some of them in the orchestra, haha. No, but without nonsense, we don't do politics, but we do try to take into account the circumstances of how people live in such a country." You were in Malta and Athens for the first time, so another discovery. "We played in Malta for the first time in September. There had been interest before, but it had not yet happened. With such an annual plan, it is not always easy. We were very warmly welcomed there. They do not have large halls, so we played in the open air, very special. And we also did Athens for the first time, which was in March. Of course we played the sirtaki dance and two bouzouki players will be joining us for a year tour. I made a short tourist trip with the orchestra in both Malta and Athens because of television recordings. I don't do that often, because I want to prepare as best as possible for the evening's concert." EMMA KOK And you took Emma Kok with you everywhere. Did you foresee her being so successful? I immediately saw her qualities, but the fact that it would explode like that, was a pleasant surprise for everyone. Pierre came up with the idea after seeing her on The Voice. We had her come to the studio and I was immediately impressed by her voice. When she performed with us for the first time at the Vrijthof last year, I immediately felt the impact on the audience. Not only does she have a beautiful voice, but she also knows how to convey it to people. It makes everyone silent. I immediately went to her to ask her to go on tour. Considering her age – she is only sixteen now – this is not that easy and certainly not given her physical limitations, because she is dependent on tube feeding due to her stomach condition. But what I think is so brave: you never hear her complain. And we do everything we can to help her so that she can travel comfortably. We always take her mother with us. Of course she is approached from all sides, everyone wants something from her. She makes her own decisions with her family, but we try to give her good advice. Because it is, of course, a special world in which we work. After the Vrijthof, the Christmas concerts will soon be held at the MECC, where you have invested heavily in the decor. Was that necessary? "I thought so. Those bare exhibition halls have no atmosphere. I turned them into a Venetian concert hall, with real lamps from Venice. You can't earn back such an investment in one year. Anyway, we are already planning six concerts in a row this year, so things are going in the right direction. I always find Christmas extra special, because people seem to be more emotional than the rest of the year. You feel the warmth on stage." Career in a nutshell October 1, 1949 is the date of birth of André Rieu, the son of a Maastricht family of six children. His father is a famous musician and conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra (LSO). André started taking violin lessons at the age of five and eventually ended up at the conservatories of Maastricht, Liège, and Brussels. In the meantime, he is a member of the boys' choir of the St. Servatius Basilica. After his studies, he was given a place in the LSO, but, unlike his father, he often found the chosen music style too gloomy and serious. He developed a preference for lighter classical music and founded his own Maastricht Salon Orchestra. He performs in retirement homes and small halls in the region. And once a year, in Maastricht (including in the former Maastrichter Staar (men's choir) building) on Ash Wednesday. These later became the well-known and popular Hieringebiete (Herring eating) concerts. At the end of the 1980s, the orchestra expanded somewhat (12 musicians) and was renamed the Johann Strauss Orchestra, with performances in the Netherlands, Belgium, and the German border region. The international breakthrough came in 1994 with the album Strauss & Co. His own interpretation of "Waltz No. 2” from Shostakovich's suite No. 2 (“The second waltz”) becomes a world hit, supported by a performance during the break of the European soccer cup match Ajax (NL) – Bayern Munich (Germany). André became known in many European countries and started touring, starting in Germany, where he made his breakthrough. Every year, the success increases and at the turn of the century, he also tours with his already large orchestra to the USA and Japan, among others. In 2004, he gave an open-air concert in the Roda stadium in Kerkrade. Maastricht mayor Gerd Leers then persuaded him to come to the Vrijthof the following year, which immediately became a tradition. Over the years, the Maastricht violinist has become one of the best-selling artists in the world with concerts in large, packed stadiums from South America to Australia. This leads him to recreate the famous Vienna Schloss Schönbrunn as a backdrop, the largest music stage in the world. But although the concerts are sold out, the income does not outweigh the immense costs of this decor, because hundreds of people are needed each time for the set-up and dismantling. It even led André Rieu Productions to near bankruptcy, but in the years since, the company has managed to rectify this. The company is healthy again and André Rieu is still among the top in the world in terms of ticket sales.