My biography
For my dear fans all over the world:
When I was small, only five years old, my mother gave me a violin. From that moment I had only one dream: when I grew up I wanted to go on stage and play to lots of people. I wanted to make everyone in the world happy with my music. I didn’t care how long it took me to get there – I knew I would make it!
I’ll never forget the year my dream came true: 1994. (Funnily enough, it’s a bit like my year of birth, 1949.) After years of studying and working, I had a breakthrough with my recording of Shostakovich’s Second Waltz, f irst in my home country of the Netherlands, then, in the following years, in the rest of Europe, North and South America, Australia, South Africa and Asia.
My fans all over the world have made that little boy’s dream come true: the boy with his child-sized violin, who wanted to make the whole world happy with his music. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
ORDER NOW: “My Music, My Life” – The Autobiography André Rieu, My Music, My Life - André Rieu Official fanshop
1949 My father and highly pregnant mother move from Amsterdam to Maastricht. I am born a few days later, thereby just barely qualifying as a “Maastrichtenaar.” At birth I already have two sisters and later acquire two brothers and another sister.
1954 My first violin lessons.
1954 - 1960 Elementary school; violin lessons continue.
1961 - 1967 High school, with the emphasis on scientific subjects and both modern and classical languages; violin lessons continue.
1962 Meet Marjorie for the first time.
1968 - 1973 Conservatory of music in both Maastricht and Liège (Bel gium); violin lessons from, among others, Jo Juda and Herman Krebbers (both concertmasters of Amsterdam’s Concert gebouw Orchestra).
1974 Renewed acquaintance with Marjorie.
1974 - 1977 Brussels Conservatory; violin lessons from André Gertler.
1975 Marriage to Marjorie.
1977 Final examinations (Premièr Prix) at the Brussels Conservatory.
1978 Birth of our son Marc; THE MAASTRICHT SALON OR CHESTRA is founded.
1978 - 1989 Member of the LIMBURG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
1978 - 1996 THE MAASTRICHT SALON ORCHESTRA plays in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the United States.
1981 Birth of our son Pierre.
1987 THE JOHANN STRAUSS ORCHESTRA and our own business, “André Rieu Productions,” are founded.
1988 - 1996 THE JOHANN STRAUSS ORCHESTRA tours the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany with a program of Viennese music.
1992 Death of my father, André Rieu Sr.
1994 Release and success of The Second Waltz and Strauss & Co. (From Holland With Love); the Netherlands falls under the spell of the waltz.
1995 In the Top Ten the whole year; solo performance during half time of Ajax’s (Amsterdam’s soccer team) Champions League match for a capacity crowd of 60,000; Wiener Mélange (The Vienna I Love) enters the charts as Number One of the Top 100. Seven times platinum for From Holland With Love.
1996 I receive the World Music Award. Starting in 1996 and continuing to the present day, I take THE JOHANN STRAUSS ORCHESTRA touring all over the world.
2000 I build the André Rieu Studios where we always rehearse and record a CD every year. We go to the most beautiful locations for the concerts you can see on our DVDs – including Romantic Paradise in Cortona (Tuscany), Radio City Music Hall in New York, Michaelerplatz in Vienna, the Flower Island of Mainau, the Semper Opera in Dresden, Heidelberg, the Belvedere Palace in Vienna and the fairy tail park Efteling, the setting of one of our most beautiful DVDs Wonderland. Last but not least, our own castle in Maastricht provides the decor for the super-romantic DVD Home for Christmas.
2006 We perform in Vienna in front of the Schönbrunn Palace, which gives me the idea of building a replica of the palace and taking it with us all over the world in 120 containers. Doing this brings us worldwide renown, and on the other hand nearly brings financial ruin to our business. I promise Marjorie solemnly never to take financial risks like this again! Since 2005 we play every summer on the Vrijthof Square in Maastricht, my hometown and the place of my birth. Fans come from all over the world to be at the concert, and year after year it’s such a fantastic occasion.
2010 Appearance at the Royal Variety Show in England in the presence of Queen Elizabeth. Breakthrough in the UK.
2011 Sir Anthony Hopkins sends me a beautiful, previously unpublished waltz he composed, asking me to record it. I feel deeply honoured and happy. In spring he comes to Vienna to attend the world premiere of his waltz And the Waltz Goes On at the Belvedere Palace. He is also present during the performance at our Vrijthof concert in Maastricht. In Vienna, I receive the Golden Decoration of Honour of the Republic of Austria for my contributions to the Viennese waltz. I am very proud of this.
2013 Great honour to perform a concert in Amsterdam on the occasion of the coronation of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, in front of more than 60,000 people on Museumplein – the largest concert we have ever given. In the UK, I receive my own TV series Welcome to My World.
2017 30th anniversary of the Johann Strauss Orchestra.
2019 I celebrate my 70th birthday with my family and the orchestra. In December, we present our first magical Christmas concerts Magical Maastricht – a wonderful tradition in the making, though fate intervenes differently.
2020–2022 The global coronavirus pandemic brings our concerts to a standstill for two whole years. Thanks to the support of the Dutch government, we are able to sustain our company.
2023 In March, we finally resume our interrupted US tour after two years. I am deeply grateful to our fans around the world for their loyalty and patience.
2024–2025 I’m celebrating my 75th birthday with my family and the entire orchestra, and I’m releasing my new album “Thank You, Johann Strauss” to mark the 200th anniversary of my favourite composer. Marjorie and I have been happily married for 50 years.
