Andre Rieu: His Musical Fascination Became A Reality

His fascination with music has taken Andre Rieu to the highest spots in the contemporary scene of the world of classical composition. Since he was a little child, his father became his principal tutor; he conducted a huge orchestra, and Andre was astounded by the sounds of instruments and the accuracy with which the members played. Nowadays, Rieu’s life revolves around music; even his wife has gotten involved with his appreciation for music.

He was born in October 1, 1949 in the Netherlands; he is a Dutch violinist and orchestra conductor. He actually began studying violin when he was five years old. His alma mater was the academy in Liege and from 1968 to 1973 he studied at the Conservatorium Maastricht.

His fame increased a lot when he decided to release a record called Johann Strauss Orchestra, the same name as the orchestra itself. This project became a reality in 1987, recruiting twelve members; nowadays it is made up by more than forty musicians. In his own words, he mentions that he wants “to make the whole of classical music accessible for everyone.” And this goal he has imposed to himself has been widely valued by many people around the world. His idealism makes him a person who is successful in any aspiration he has. He wants to make people happy with classical music.

The success of this orchestra has gone beyond the frontiers and its quality has been prized and internationally recognized; they have won the World Music Awards two times and their recordings have sold thousands of copies all around the world. The variety of genres they include in their repertoire is very wide; from classical music, to popular and folk music, soundtracks and theater musicals.