Donij van Doorn Travels The World With Rieu

Soprano Donij van Doorn travels the world with André Rieu. She was born in Enschede, the Netherlands, and during her studies at the Maastricht Conservatory lived in that Capital City of Limburg, but now she's lost her heart to the Hague. Her favorite place there: Swags (Haagsche Bluf 18)

By Ivar Lingen: "It is such a nice little square. It is a bit sheltered, so that not everyone goes there en-masse" ,says Donij. On the terrace of Scallywags in the Haagsche Bluf she sits down in one of 'those big granny chairs', as she calls them." They sit fabulously." The soprano likes to come there for the homemade cakes. Along with fresh juice.

Donij now lives in The Hague for a little over a year. That she moved to the city by the sea is actually purely a coincidence, she says. "My friend lived in Leipzig and I in Amsterdam, and we maintained this distant relationship for five years. That must be real love, haha. On a shorter term we wanted to find something together. I met friends of mine and they lived in a sister's house that needed to be rented out. The Hague was on our list as an option, but we had not seriously looked at that," she says honestly. "It is a very nice house, and has a lot of character. And the Weimarstreet is very sociable, pleasant and cozy."

In a short time, The Hague has conquered a place in Donij's heart . How did that happen? "From my house you are very quickly to the beach and the dunes. Then you are really 'outside the city'. The Hague also has a lot of charm, it is also more stately. Amsterdam is a bit more crowded. "Donij adds quickly: "And we are still really trying to discover the city."

The latest thing Donij recently discovered in The Hague is "Murphy's Law" at the Doctor Kuyperstraat. "That's such a nice jazz place! Five times a week they have live jazz music there. I have been there three times now. They also have lots of whiskeys - which I love very much, haha!"

Donij met André Rieu during her studies in Maastricht. "He was frantically looking for someone to substitute in the choir. I was a third-year student, or something like that. I just did not believe it when they first called. I thought: yeah, right ... Haha! I went for an audition and we clicked. He immediately took me to his castle in his car, I signed a contract and then suddenly I was in the Efteling for the DVD-special which was being recorded there. It was really a fairy tale how it all started. Afterwards - I was still studying and could not always leave for a few weeks - he tried to persuade me for the fun tours. "Are you coming along to Japan? Really nice, it is only a week and a half. Come on! "He said.

"At some time, when we were performing in the Carré with Ivo Niehe he asked for me to see him during the break. And he asked: "Listen, would you not want to join me as my solo?" I think I was twenty-three, twenty-four. I thought: "Wow, yes, cool!" Naturally I internally jumped a hole in the air. But I had to arrange it with the school. In the end it was a very cool experience: I could go along to America, and for a young soprano, experience jet lag, and sing there with a full orchestra for so many people, days in a row. I thought that to be very special."

Afterwards Donij had to make a difficult decision. "I received an offer from the "Opera Studio Nederland" in Amsterdam. They had seen me in Maastricht and they really would like to have me. It is actually a very selective group of people. I did not feel I was ready to go with André, because I still wanted to learn so much. Opera is my greatest love: to play a role and sing. That is such a neat combination. So I opted for the "Opera Studio" in Amsterdam and that's where we actually parted ways. "For the time being, at least ...

Because three years ago, the 'king of romance', André Rieu, called Donij. "Out of the blue he called me from France: "Can you come to France tomorrow? Because I need a soprano. "I told him I had a performance tomorrow - didn't even know where. "And the day after tomorrow?" he asked. But I was not able. "Okay, could you then go to China in two weeks?" That, I could do, because it was only a week. And it just clicked, just like before. It was so nice. I was at a different level, where it was better working with him. I was very grateful that this happened to come my way." But in the end, Donij was not able to go on a tour to China, because she was not able to obtain a visa in that short of a time. "And so we eventually ended up together on the stage for the first time in Eastern Europe (Prague)," says Donij.

From classical opera to soloist in André Rieu's shows: Donij calls it 'a completely different way of dealing with the profession'. She explains this as follows: "I have been trained and am prepared to do an opera for three hours and to sing above an orchestra. The classical way of course. That is now of course completely different. One aria is mine only, but I also have other things with another soloist. But with jet lag and fatigue from five days of concerts in a row, that is very difficult. And you only have those five minutes to really pop. So you have a completely different mindset. That is very refreshing. On the other hand, I do miss it: In one year, I only do one piece."

For her work "she is gone a lot." Most of the time she is gone from home for a few weeks. "The first thing I do when I come home is to go to the beach. Wonderful, especially after a flight. I was born in Enschede, lived in Maastricht, where the beach is not just around the corner. But now it is like that and then I think: "I have to enjoy this," she says with a smile.

►Click HERE To See and Hear Donij Sing

Thanks to Ineke for the article and John's translation