André Rieu To Launch His North American Tour

MULTI PLATINUM MUSICAL PHENOMENON ANDRÉ RIEU ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN TOUR TO LAUNCH APRIL 17th

Violinist, Conductor and Showman Is Billboard's Top Selling Classical Artist In The U.S. And A Pollstar Top 10 Worldwide Touring Act.

New York, April 9, 2009 /PRNewswire/ André Rieu, the most successful classical artist in the world, will embark on a 35-city concert tour throughout the U.S. and Canada starting April 17th in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre. The 12,000 capacity arena is one of the largest in Canada and is almost sold out.

Together with his 60-piece Johan Strauss Orchestra, the music aficionado tours on five continents, performing to more than 700,000 fans annually around the world. Billboard Magazine named Rieu the number one classical artist in the United States for 2008. In addition, Pollstar Magazine named him one of the Top 10 touring acts in the world, sharing the honor with Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay.

Rieu's tours are global extravaganzas, with elaborate sets including exact reproductions of European Palaces. He believes that classical music should be accessible to everyone and engages audiences with his unorthodox approach and radiant atmospheres. Crowned the "King of Waltz" by the media, he encourages the audience to get out of their seats and waltz in the aisles. His unique approach to classical music has fans swaying in sold-out stadiums; the public embraced by the charismatic virtuoso.

"Especially in times like these, music is very important. My orchestra and I travel all across the world. Wherever we play, people always seem to forget their worries for a moment, That's one of the most beautiful and powerful things of making music." says Rieu. Adding: " I'm really looking forward to tour the United States and Canada again - our North American fans have a great attitude and always show their enthusiasm right away from the very first note."

Leading music industry magazine Billboard named André Rieu as the Top Classical Selling Artist of 2008 in the United States. He also celebrated three albums in Billboard's 2008 Top Classical Albums chart. As well as record sales, Rieu topped the charts in worldwide touring. Pollstar Magazine named him number eight in the world, with over $77 million in revenue.

For Tour dates go to ►André Rieu Website