ON SONG: Mirusia Louwerse and Andre Rieu at last year’s concert in the Netherlands.
MIRUSIA Louwerse is a Brisbane singer who is also one of the most famous opera singers in Europe.
She is so well-regarded that Andre Rieu chose her for his 10th anniversary concert later this month in his hometown of Maastricht, The Netherlands.
To celebrate, The King of Waltz and his famous 60-piece orchestra will present a special performance filled with humour, music and emotion.
The concert will be available at Ballina Fair Cinemas live from Europe, as well as in 12 other countries.
Here is what Louwerse had to say about her successful career and Rieu.
Q. How has it been working with Rieu professionally?
A. Working with an international superstar like Andre has been such a thrilling experience in my life. He has taught me so many things and every day I am still learning. He really has become my mentor and one day I hope to follow in his footsteps with my own solo career.
Q. Why does he call you The Angel of Australia?
A. When I first started touring with Andre I had a song where I was dressed as an angel (Concerto Pour Une Voix – Saint Preux) and when we toured with the World Stadium tour I actually flew on the wire as an angel. It was really impressive, hence me being the Angel of Australia.
Q. On a more personal note, what is he like?
A. Andre is a great person and a perfectionist. Everything you see on the screen, or when you see us live in concert, has all been thought up and had the finishing touches perfected by Andre. He sees everything and is very mindful of detail. It’s so wonderful to work with someone like that who really cares about what he does so much right down to the minute details. I think that is very inspiring. He is also really funny and makes me laugh a lot.
Q. What are your next professional engagements in Australia?
A. In September I am doing a tour of North Queensland, with the Queensland Pops Orchestra, and this will be my last concerts in Australia for a long time as I have engagements in Europe until 2016. But in August I will be releasing a DVD and CD called Beautiful That Way, through Universal Australia, and I am really excited to share this wonderful concert.
