André Rieu Talks About Kerstin Cornelis

André Rieu Talks About Kerstin Cornelis

From the Book: "De baas de baas", by Ria Harmelink July 2009
English translation copyrighted by ©Ineke and John

►This book is in Dutch and contains 14 interviews of 14 assistants, secretaries of famous Dutch politicians, top managers of various nationalities, mayors, attorneys, etc. In the first part the assistant talks about his/her boss. In the second part the boss talks about the assistant. And the third part is a general survey of the boss’ career. This is the second part: What André says about Kerstin.

"There Must Be a Connection Between the Parties Involved"

I make music, Kerstin organizes everything around. She is my right hand and I don't have to worry about anything. Everything is always properly coordinated to within the smallest details. She is responsible for a budget, but also the organizing of tours, hotel accommodations, and the press contacts all go through her. In that aspect she is a buffer between me and the rest of the world. And if it happens that we stay in a hotel that I don't like, I tell her. However she always has her reasons in choosing certain accommodations (because other hotel s were fully booked, or for budgetary reasons). But I can depend on her that we will never stay in that hotel again.

Our similarity is that we are both very professional. We love travelling ... every time to be somewhere else, sleeping in a different city, waking up early, these are things that make the job attractive. But those are not the only things. What is most important is that you understand each other, otherwise you cannot survive. Especially when you are on tour. You have almost 24 hours per day to deal with each other, so there must be a connection between the parties involved. With us there is that connection. We have good conversations, have fun and laugh about the same things.

In any case, we all are one big family. Someone might play the violin beautifully, but if there is no relative closeness, it will all come to an end very soon. I expect a lot from my musicians, arriving late for rehearsals is not done. But I try to give a lot too. You are a little of a father figure for such a group. I am convinced that whatever you invest in, it comes back to you multi fold. That's why we have such a nice time together and we radiate that from the stage. That enthusiasm is our strength, the audience notices that is real. Kerstin contributes a lot to that, by keeping me free from all the businesslike worries. She ensures that everything runs smoothly.

"I cannot imagine that she would not want to work for me any longer. Fortunately, I have not yet noticed a sign that she wants to leave us."

►The third part is about André's career. Most fans know of that already. But if you don't know yet, go to Ineke and Ruud's Website: ►www.andrerieu-movies.com ....... Click onto the stamp on the Home Page. In the next screen you'll see a wonderful almost year by year description of André's career.