Jann and Bobbie in MelbourneThe Australian Concert Tour is over now, but the Memories and Friendships will live on forever ... Safe travels home to André, the JSO and all the Fans who traveled Downunder for these special last few weeks!
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.. November 01, 2009
Trevi Fountains this time, just wonderful music and lots of it.HE came, he saw, he conquered again. Flying Dutchman André Rieu is an entertainment emperor. No palaces, ice skating, horse drawn carriages or
Even without the full spectacle, a night out with Rieu is still something to celebrate and a great advert for classical music. The costumes, the quality musicians, the pomp and refusal to stand on ceremony, make his concerts a celebration.
And make no mistake. While he is happy to feature his stellar supporting cast, it is André's show. Every note, every gag, every nuance and invitation to waltz comes directly from the consummate showman. Rieu leads the orchestra with his accomplished violin skills and the Platinum Tenors Thomas Gruel, Bela Mavrak and Australia's own Gary Bennett were back to make a marvellous vocal contribution to the evening.
Brazilian beauty Carmen Monarcha was joined by the Australian Girls Choir in several dazzling numbers. But it was Australian soprano Mirusia Louwerse who stole the show with a rendition of Memory which put Elaine Paige's under whelming Sunday night effort at Adelaide Festival Theatre to shame.
It was nice to see Rieu also pay a touching tribute to another global icon, Michael Jackson. The endless finale saw Rieu get the crowd singing along as he rolled out Aussie favourites and invited them all back to his concert next October.
André in Maastricht In His Tribute To Michael JacksonRieu, who made a surprise appearance at the premiere of Jackson's "This Is It" at Crown on Wednesday night in Melbourne, said he had met Jackson while performing in Monaco and had been impressed by the singer. "He was a great man and a great artist," Rieu said. "I would have loved to have made music together with him."DUTCH violin maestro Andre Rieu has revealed he had hoped to team up with Michael Jackson for a musical performance, before the singer's shocking death in June.
Rieu said he had been performing one of his trademark waltzes at the World Music Awards when the King of Pop caught his attention. "He was sitting in the front row and he really enjoyed it," Rieu said. "We have lost a fantastic man."
And Rieu, who performed the first of his four Melbourne concerts at Rod Laver Arena last night, said he had added two Jackson songs, 'Ben' and 'Earth Song' to his repertoire to honour the late singer.
"He is fantastic, he is a genius . . . I play two pieces to honour him," he said.
They're Now Having Dinner Before Tonights ConcertIsn't modern technology great! Here is Beate from Germany, John and Bobbie from California and Jann from Australia, all having dinner before André's Concert in Melbourne and we're looking at them while they're eating!!Jann always sends me these little "Cell Phone Photos" and I thought I'd put this one on here ... She just sent this one to me of them all at dinner before tonight's concert. Murray is not in it because he took the picture.
Now if we could all just climb in that picture and go on to the concert with them!!! ... But sweet Murray has text messaged me and told me he will send me a pic at the beginning of the concert. I will add it on here when he does ... while the concert is going on!! :) ....... ►Murray's Cell Phone Pictures
The Vefsn Ensemble Group With Suzan Erens in NorwayDuring the past week, I had the opportunity to visit with Suzan Erens and see/hear her sing at the Kulturverkstedet on Sjogata Street in the historic section of Mosjoen, Norway. This was advertised as a "Luncheon with Opera" or perhaps an "opera with your coffee".
Walking down Sjogata Street, I found my way into the Kulturverkstedet or Cultural Workshop. Once inside, I located a program "Operalugsj med Suzan Erens" and began reviewing the highlights. As I was early, I could hear Suzan still rehearsing and running checks, etc. in the next room.
I decided to go into the auditorium part and take a seat quietly while she was still busy with the Vefsn Ensemble group. But she saw me, waved and came over to give me a hug. Then, she bounced back to the stage to finish last minute items. I was glad that I came early because the place began to fill-up. It wasn't long before the Overture and Suzan began to sing the first selections from "Didos and Aeneas" by English Composer Henry Purcell ...
Click on the link to read all of Ed Martin's story about his time in Norway ... see his photos of and with Suzan and where she lives. ►Ed With Suzan in Norway
André Rieu Rewards The Faithful Again IT was a swooning love in when André Rieu and his 50 strong Johann Strauss Orchestra played at Rod Laver Arena last night.Though the violin maestro was here less than a year ago, the faithful thought it was too long a wait and gave him a rapturousReview by Terry Carroll Melbourne Herald Sun ~
welcome in the anticipation of his Classical, Operetta, Movie and March favorites.The Platin Tenors, including Tasmanian Gary Bennett, belted out "Torna a Surriento". While Mirusia Louwerse brought the house down with her version of, "I Could Have Danced All Night".
The Waltzes are the big hits though, with the "Blue Danube" swaying the crowd. Rieu appears again tonight.
André Rieu Come's a Waltzing to Melbourne Melbourne's Herald Sun October 29, 2009 by John Hamilton
Accompanied by 110 musicians, singers and crew, Rieu will give the first of four Melbourne concerts tonight at Rod Laver Arena. "It is not as big as last year because last year I was crazy, travelling with 500 people and two castles," he said. "There are no castles this time, just a backdrop with beautiful lights, beautiful music and lots of waltzes. "Waltzing touches my heart, and when I play the waltz it will touch the audience's hearts too."ANDRÉ Rieu the flying Dutch musical sensation with his $11 million Stradivarius flew into Melbourne yesterday and proclaimed the Blue Danube Waltz was the secret to longevity. "The most important thing in life is your health, here in your head," he said, "and the waltz is my secret."
The maestro was moving at more than fast foxtrot speed when he rushed into his hotel yesterday afternoon. Our interview was constrained to 10 minutes. He made straight for the dining room, where he ordered sushi and started conducting with a chopstick and humming along to illustrate his point.
"When you play the waltz in the right way you can see everyone move in the right way," he said. "I play the Danube every night and you can see people move and float, hum and smile. I want to touch their hearts."
Rieu has been on the road for 30 years. Yet in the first six months of this year he was the fourth top concert earner in the world, after Britney Spears, Madonna and Tina Turner. From January to July he had sold 554,242 tickets and taken $57.4 million. His Live in Australia DVD, which followed his tour last year is the fastest-selling music DVD in Australian history. It is only one of his dozens of bestselling DVDs and CDs. But he has no intention of slowing down.
"I've just turned 60 - I am only starting out. I'm going to keep going until I'm 120," he proclaimed."You laugh - but the scientists are working on it." His only regret on this tour is that he missed the births of his new granddaughters."They promised me they would stay in their mother until I came back home, but they are naughty girls and didn't do that," he said.
What sort of travelling companion is his Stradivarius? "People often ask me whether I believe it is some kind of human being," he said. "No, I don't believe that. "It's a violin, a piece of wood, but a fantastic piece of wood made by a genius. It has become part of my body, more than a friend."
What does the maestro do with people who cough during his concerts? "Nothing," said Andre Rieu, stabbing with his chopstick for emphasis. "Why do people cough at concerts? "Because they are bored. "And in my concerts they are never bored, so they do not cough."
He smiled, ordered the soy sauce in Dutch, applied both chopsticks to the sushi, and the interview was over.
Rieu and his Orchestra, play the first of their four Concerts at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena tonight.
Here is a video Chris T found of this interview! ►http://player.video.news.com.au/heraldsun/#1310753917
André's Lullaby at The Auckland New Zealand ConcertAndré played the National Anthem of New Zealand at the encores. There were also Marina, Strauß & CO and last the Brahms Lullaby. When André pretended to sleep at the end of the lullaby, a balloon crashed and I got that funny picture ... Beate
Australia 2008 ~ Were You There?After exploding onto the Australian music charts in 2007, André Rieu's journey into the hearts of Australians was effortless and immediate. Talk of his DVD's and music quickly overtook the usual dinner table conversation and you didn't need to walk far to see a billboard or poster emblazoned with his cheeky smile. Rieu Mania had well and truly begun.Universal Music: The incredible story of André Rieu's Australian success includes extensive audience and tour footage from his time in Australia, plus selected commentary in the booklet from his fans.
A whirlwind promotional visit in September, 2007 cemented the mutual love this country shares with André and his unconventional take on classical music. This was quickly followed by the announcement that André would soon bring his spectacular World Stadium Tour, complete with a life size replica of Schoenbrunn Castle down under, sharing this musical passion with his many Australian admirers.
Join André on a special behind the scenes journey, from the moment he lands at Melbourne airport, through the entire tour. Witness the backstage fun, a tropical storm, a day at the beach, a cheese sandwich and a tearful farewell.
Following several months of careful planning the time has finally arrived for "André's Australian Adventure!"
Playing Time: 2:45 ANTICIPATED RELEASE DATE ~ EARLY NOVEMBER
Our Thanks To Universal Music
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What André Rieu offers is more than a concert, it is a Visual Feast. The logistics are massive and preparation immense, yet it all appears to hum along, the process so finely tuned.He is a massive global success, playing to full stadiums across the world. This weekend he performed, along with his very own
orchestra, to a sold out audience at Auckland's Vector Arena.
And through it all the Dutchman delivers a night his fans will never forget. "Close Up's" Hannah Ockelford went back stage to try to unravel the mystery of Andre Rieu.
Click on The Link Below to Watch The Interview:
►Backstage With André in Auckland NZ
It's Official!! André is Grandfather of Twin Girls, "Linde and Lieke"At this moment André is still in Australia for concerts, but has already declared to be very proud and cannot wait until he can see his newborn grandchildren. Until that time he receives photo's and video's.Amsterdam ~ Oct. 26, 2009 André Rieu has become a Grandfather for the second time. On October 13th, 2009, Pierre son of the violin player became the father of twin girls named Linde and Lieke. Mother (Eefje) and daughters
are doing very well and Pierre is extremely happy. As reported by Shownieuws.
At the end of June André became a grandfather of Ivan, son of his oldest son Marc.
Normally André does not leave his hotel very often, but now he shops frequently and purchases something special for his grandchildren in each town he visits. Our Congratulations to Pierre and Eefje on the birth of their little girls, and to the proud Grandparents!!
Thanks to Ruud on this SpeedyTranslation for us!
Reuben Just Saw His First Two André Concerts in NZ! . This has to be one of my favourite photos, I just had to attach it, Mirusia has the most cheeky smile. We're all calming down now as the long weekend draws to a close. Cheers, ReubenWe just had a marvelous time at our concerts!! It was absolutely wonderful! I took quite a few photos, and have just published them along with a report on my site
"MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA WELCOMES ANDRÉ HOME"Concerts at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday October 29th. The International Violinist will perform Four Concerts in Melbourne this year ...Melbourne Observer: The Countdown is on for the first of André Rieu's Melbourne
"The Dame and the Maestro" ~ Dutch violinist is on his way to Melbourne after launching the first of his Australian 2009 concerts in Sydney. Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra played to a crowd of 14,000 who were thrilled with a surprise appearance by Dame Edna Everage.
Sydney radio man Alan Jones who has been battling cancer also made an appearance singing "We Are Australian".
The tour included two shows in Sydney, plus performances Sunday and Monday in Newcastle. Other shows are listed for Brisbane, Auckland and Adelaide. The Melbourne concerts will be held at Rod Laver Arena on October 29, 30, 31 and November 1.
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This is a letter I received from Donij van Doorn today. I thought I would post it on the Parlor for everyone to read as it has such a wonderful little story in it. How nice that she found her pictures on the Parlor from our fans! Below is her letter thanking those fans ...
I want to thank you for the wonderful website The Harmony Parlor. I found the most beautiful pictures of my solo-experience 
in Kansas City with André and the JSO on the site. I am very gratefull for this!
You should know that I was very sad about the fact that I had no photo's of it at all because I had been terribly sick half the tour ... But now I do have some pictures. :)
Could you please thank Sonja, Maggie, JH, John and Chris T. for the photos from me. I'm full of joy to have seen it, and I'm very happy the fans were so positive about the performance. Thank you all very, very much!
Kind regards, Donij
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Celebrated musician André Rieu and his orchestra were greeted with a traditional powhiri as they arrived at Auckland Airport this
evening. The chart-topping Dutch violinist is kicking off his 2009 Arena Tour with two spectacular shows at the Vector Arena this weekend.
Rieu, best known for creating an international revival in waltz music, has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. His 2008 AustralianTour broke classical concert records and he has sold more than 200,000 DVDs in New Zealand. Rieu's six CD box set "The 100 Most Beautiful Melodies" recently peaked at number five in the New Zealand Album Chart.
SHOW DATES: Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra Saturday, October 24 - Vector Arena (sold out) Sunday, October 25 - Vector Arena - www.ticketmaster.com
André Rieu 2010 National Concert TourThey were also joined by some very special guests, including a stirring spoken and sung rendition of 'We Are Australian' by radio personality Alan Jones, resulting in a standing ovation from the 15,000 audience members. The concert ended with a surprise visit from Australia's First Lady, Dame Edna Everage. To much laughter and applause Dame Edna announced, that she was engaged to be married to Rieu, stating after that "many of the female members of the audience now want to scratch my eyes out".André Rieu returned to the Australian stage last week with a jubilant '30th Anniversary Tour' concert at ACER Arena in Sydney. Celebrating 30 years of performing, Rieu, his soloists and The Johann Strauss Orchestra wowed with a collection of songs including waltz by Frans Lehr, the Spanish 'Espaa Cani' and a traditional Dutch 'Klompendans' (clog dance).
The biggest surprise for Rieu fans came when the concert was finished and the announcement of a 2010 Sydney concert was made and André's many Newcastle and Brisbane fans can expect more exciting news this week! André Rieu and The Johann Strauss Orchestra will return to Australia for more shows in 2010 ...
Jim Morgan Conquers The Sydney Harbor Bridge!We see a lot of reviews of André's Concerts referring to his Audiences as, the "Senior" group, the "60 and Older Group", the "Geriatric Group" and
Well here's to show that we may not be "Twenty Something's" any more, or even Thirty Something's, but that does not mean we're sitting at home knitting, or sitting on the couch watching Game Shows. We won't tell Jim's age ... but he's not "Thirty Something!!" Good for you Jim!!oh yes, my favorite ~ the "Blue Rinse" group! They say it as if they were all a bad thing.
Jim and Ruth are touring Australia with John and Bobbie and having a great time doing it as you can see ... and yes Kay, he IS going to The Rock! :)
Love Him or Hate Him, André Rieu Can Not Be Ignored ~ Whether you like his music or not, it's impossible not to notice the impact
Rieu has had on the global music scene, but particularly in Australia.
The numbers speak for themselves really. Rieu sold out all his concerts last year and has sold tens of thousands of CDs and DVDs. The monthly classical ARIA charts have not been without a Rieu release since 2007.
Click on link below to read the full article with all the photos. Thanks Jann for another great team effort.
Carmen's "Earth Song" in Newcastle Concert by John John's photos from their "Newcastle Concert" have been added to his Photopage. ►John's Pictures From Australia
Mirusia Helps Out Other Rising StarsOctober 19, 2009 by Linda Muller
THE entertainment spokes of a close knit hub of young Redland entertainers is spreading on to the world stage, according to Birkdale soprano Mirusia Louwerse.
Mirusia was spending some time at home before starting an Australia/New Zealand tour with the internationally renowned violinist Andre Rieu.
While here, she had a small soiree inviting along her former agent Alan Beard of Birkdale, Adam Lopez of Ormiston, Jaimie Wells of Wellington Point, Rachael and Rebecca Jackson of Victoria Point and Ben and David Mibus of Cleveland.
“There is so much talent here and lots of local support. There’s no jealousy here. I have been happy to be home and give advice and work together with these artists. It’s nice to think we can help each other. It’s taking Redlands out to the world,” Mirusia said.
Mirusia said it was her way of repaying similar support for her work in Australia before joining the Andre Rieu team.
“It’s about promoting yourself and getting your face out there. I was doing all right here with Scotland the Brave. Singing is all I have. It’s my whole life and that’s why I put so much work into it,” she said.
Mirusia joins the Andre Rieu tour which takes in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Auckland, Adelaide and Melbourne. There are performances in Brisbane at the Entertainment Centre on Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22.
“I came in at the right time. I’ve been part of the big explosion over here. I joined about the time his CDs and DVDs started being promoted to the Australian public,” she said. “It’s a busy life but I love it so much. Skype and MSN makes it easy to keep in touch with my friends and my parents. It’s a lot easier to say ‘Hello’ and to check everything is okay,” she said.
Mirusia leaves Australia later this year to tour France and give Christmas concerts in Belgium, Germany and Holland.
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Breakfast at Lena's at Warners Bay was a wonderful experience. At 8.00am, thirteen of us enjoyed each other's company while André (Pat's cutout) watched on. Bobbie, John, Ruth and Jim from United States were welcomed, as were Shirley, Norm, Ellen and Ivan from Sydney. Maree, George, Pat, Faye, Peter now called Father Superior and myself were also there.
We were looked after by Lawrence and Caroline, the owners of Lena's. We were in the alcove so we could do whatever we wanted, and Lawrence kindly played a CD and we even managed a waltz or two !!! Naturally the topic of conversation was the previous concerts and how they compared between Sydney and Newcastle.
We had a yummy breakfast choosing juices, variations on Bacon and eggs etc followed by coffee. We were there for so long that Pat had pikelets for morning tea. We all watched on. I don't know how she does it. We then had a group photo taken with André, Lawrence and Caroline.
Again it was great to see the Friendships and fun that was had by all. After leaving Lena's, we took "André" across the road to the Esplanade where we had another group photo with beautiful Lake Macquarie in the backgroud and then went our separate ways.
Peter and I took John, Bobbie, Ruth and Jim on a guided tour of Newcastle. We drove around Lake Macquarie to Swansea, saw the pelicans, Belmont Bay, Redhead Bluff, Merewether, Bar Beach and Nobby's. We took a leisurely stroll along the Honeysuckle Boardwalk, all in all we had a wonderful day and off to the concert again this evening ... Margaret (aka Mother Superior)
Click on the link to see the new pictures of it all from John and Bobbies Photopage of their Travels Downunder: ►John's Pictures From Australia
André Rieu Presale Ticket Alert For Australia 2010Thanks to Mike C. in Australia for the "heads up" on these!!Ticketek have just advised Presale Tickets for concerts next year - Sydney, Newcastle & Brisbane. Adelaide and Melbourne presales will be announced closer to concert dates in those cities. ALSO The new DVD/CD - "Live in Sydney 2009" - is due for release on 11 December (2009)!!
The Newcastle Australia Fan DinnerTomorrow will be concert number 2. We first have a breakfast meeting in the morning, we'll do some sight seeing and then get ready for yet another wonderfuil concert.Today was another super day. Had some rain this morning but the skies cleared to another beautiful day with plenty of sunshine.
The Newcastle fan luncheon was a complete success. After the luncheon we all walked over to the venue and mingled with the attendees, and met more fans.
Jim and Ruth will leave Tuesday morning back to Sydney, we'll stick around one more day and then we too will go back to Sydney.This vacation is going way too fast, but we are enjoying it ... Liefekes from "Down Under" John and Bobbie
Click here to see the pictures John sent of the Fan Dinner: ►John's Pictures From Australia
André Rieu Australian Fansite Re-opens As most of you know, Jann regretfully had to close her 'Aussie Fansite' down for a few weeks due to personal reasons. She is now able to work on it again and has re-opened it. The link is below and of course it is under "Parlor Links" on the left as it always was ... Welcome back Jann!! ....... ►Jann's Aussie Fansite
André With Dame Edna and His Grandson RupertEmily from Australia sent us some pictures she took at last night's Sydney Concert. They are of André with Dame Edna and you can see in them just how much fun André is having with it all!! ►Emily's Sydney Photos ... Thanks Emily
Dame Edna Everage Joins André Rieu on Stage in SydneyOctober 17, 2009 The Herald Sun ~ ONE is the Queen of Australian entertainment, the other a Music Maestro. And on Thursday night they joined forces to the delight of 14,000 screaming fans as Dame Edna Everage took to the stage of Sydney's Acer Arena, upstaging internationally acclaimed violinist Andre Rieu. Dame Edna wowed the audience, performing the theme song from Neighbours in honour of Rieu's appearance on the popular Australian soap earlier this year.
Having paid up to $289 for platinum seating, the crowd were expecting a good night out and certainly got it. The Waltzing Maestro is set to wow Melbourne audiences when he takes to the stage at Rod Laver Arena from October 29th to the 1st of November. Thanks to Robyn. Great shot John!!
Click on the Link to watch ►News Video of Sydney Concert
A Note from John With More Pictures!!I just have to say that the concert last night was just out of this world! Dame Edna was a riot. We laughed sooo hard! And his grandson is a fantastic violin player.
Today we all went to Manly Bay, had fish and chips on the beach, and Bobbie was presented with a lovely Birthday cake, on the beach. We all sang "Happy Birthday" to her.
The weather has been fantastic, a little windy at times, but lots of sun and the fans we've met are all just super. Lots of nice people. Will try to get back with you later, hopefully from Newcastle. ~John and Bobbie ... Click here to see NEW pics: ►John's Pictures From Australia
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This is the video from the 'Today Show' in Sydney with Richard Wilkins interviewing André, Alan Jones and Dame Edna at the concert in Sydney last night. Thank You to Mike C. in Australia for sending it to us!
André Rieu and Dame Edna in Sydney From Kate Hunt in Sydney ~ The concert was the best I have been to. The Dame Edna episode was really, really funny! The orchestra members were doubled up and André was beside himself with laughter. The mosh pit was wild. They had to get Johan to pull a woman off the flowers at the front of the stage! ~Thanks to Kate for sending this!!
Click on the link to see ►Some Fun Pictures From Kate's Sydney Concert
2GB Broadcaster Alan Jones SingsWe Are Australian With André Rieu
performed We Are Australian in a mixture of song and spoken words at the Acer Arena Concert in Homebush last night. Dressed in a cream suit with an open neck pink shirt, and with a folded pink silk handkerchief in his pocket, and looking better than he has for some time, he was warmly received by his radio audience made manifest in the flesh.He is Sydney's biggest radio show host but Alan Jones last night put his singing voice to the test joining violinist André Rieu on stage to belt out an iconic Australian tune. Jones, who has battled illness for
the past few months
They joined in the chorus with gusto and listened respectfully during the verses. 
With a John Travolta like pointed finger, Jones pointed out the Australians in the audience. Only slightly ragged in the closing verses, he acquitted himself well with a roar of appreciation and a standing ovation from the audience as they called out for more! He obliged by giving them another chorus of the song. Rieu and Jones hugged before Jones left the stage, with Rieu shouting out "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie," to which to audience responded with a hearty "Oi oi oi".
Dame Edna Everage also wowed the audience, performing the theme song from Neighbours, in honour of Rieu's appearance on the popular Australian soap earlier this year. ~ by Maureen Shelley. Thanks to Jann for sending this!!
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As you know John and Bobbie are in Australia now. When John can get computer access he willsend pictures to me so we can follow their travels and concerts. Here's a few to start on their first day with Jim, Ruth, Margaret, Faye and Vilma. André sure does brings friends together across the miles!! I have created a page for him and will update his pictures as they come in and post it on here.
