Rieu is most famous for founding the Johann Strauss Orchestra, which he set up with just 12 members in 1987. Today the orchestra consists of up to 60 players and is known for its crowd-friendly performances of popular classics, crossover tunes and particularly waltzes, and for its extravagant costumes and sets.

Concerts tend to be 2.5-3 hours usually with an interval.

Touring Around the World A special highlight are his traditional summer concerts on the Vrijthof Square in his hometown Maastricht. In July 2019 André Rieu welcomed 150.000 fans from 99 countries, performing twelve concerts on the romantic medieval square.

From 1974 to 1977, he attended the Music Academy in Brussels, studying with André Gertler. He completed his training with the distinction "Premier Prix" from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He married Marjorie Kochmann in 1975. She has been a language teacher and has written compositions.

1: The Second Waltz It had just been used on a television advert, so the audience knew it well and decided to sing along, with Rieu conducting. It's one of those magical crowd moments that happen only once in a lifetime, and it turned him into an overnight megastar. He sold 200,000 CDs immediately afterward.

Rieu was born the third of six children. His father, Andries Antonie Rieu, was the conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra. A young André showed plenty of musical promise, taking up the violin from age five. Growing up, Rieu learned to speak six languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

His Personal Violin Is Worth €2.2m From a Stentor to a Cremona, a Mendini to a Forenza Secondo, you may be wondering what it is that André Rieu deems worthy of playing alongside his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Once again André Rieu transformed the Vrijthof square in his hometown Maastricht into a grand, romantic open-air concert hall with room for about ten thousand people for his traditional summer evening concerts.

Very popular. About 12000 in the audience every night and filled restaurants seven times this year made this a very interesting event.

38,605 André Rieu came, saw and conquered the hearts of Melbourne. He has made history. His concert at Melbourne's Telstra Dome on Saturday, 15 November, a record audience of 38,605, made it the biggest attendance of any Rieu show anywhere in the world.

Rieu is a talented musician and a great showman. He provides employment to an entire orchestra, and all the associated support staff required for touring. He is a great entertainer, choosing accessible music and filling huge venues.