Frank Steijns - All Year Round Champagne

For the second time, André Rieu gives a New Year's Concert in the Ziggo Dome. Frank Steijns is a first violinist in the Johann-Strauss orchestra.

By: Eline Verburg, de Telegraaf: A New Year's concert in the Ziggo Dome is just something different than from other concerts, says Frank Steijns. "This year too André Rieu will add a beautiful and grand act to the concert," he says.

The first violinist has been playing "with great pleasure" in the Johann Strauss Orchestra for more than sixteen years, and has calculated that he has already played the audience's favorite "An der Schönen Blauen Donau" more than 3ooo times. "It is THE waltz of Strauss and the highlight for the audience and orchestra. People stand-up in mass to dance, and then you see how much music fraternizes, "he explains.

Carillonneur and Musical genius

Frank Steijns (1970) graduated cum laude in the studies of violin, music theory

and orchestral conducting in Leuven Belgium. These studies were followed with training as a carillonneur and he is a composer.

Besides his work as a violinist in the orchestra of Rieu, he is also the city carillonneur for

Maastricht, Heerlen and Weert. He regularly plays popular music on the carillon, which ranges from Within Temptation to Metallica

During the New Year's Eve party In the Ziggo Dome without a doubt, the Radetzky march will also be heard. "The absolute New Year's Eve piece", according to Steijns. "Luckily we play that the entire year on stage with champagne."

"The year 2018 has a full program in store for the sixty-person orchestra." Steijns rejoices enormously: " We travel about the whole world. In April we will go to Israel for the first time. Performing in a new country is always exciting and challenging. " In the meantime the entire world is also coming to Maastricht. In July Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra will perform for the fourteenth time "at home" on the Vrijthof in Maastricht. Twelve evenings this time. Through the course of years passed, these open air concerts have attracted more and more fans to South Limburg. "Every evening in Maastricht we count all the flags the fans bring with them. Last year there were more than ninety nationalities on the square. That's about the half of all countries in the world", he said so proudly. In addition to his work at Rieu's and as carillonneur, Steijns is also a composer. In July and for the first time in Maastricht there will be a performance of a huge composition by him for a big choir, Symphony Orchestra and soloists. "It has to be ready by the end of January. So my first good intention for 2018 is: "to continue! "

Thanks to Ineke for the article and John's translation