July 26, 2024 from EB & Live, a trade publication covering the Dutch Live Entertainment Industry. Source: Treat, organizer of this event. Translated by Diana D. Le Pierre Rieu: "It’s hard work" This month, André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra performed no fewer than 12 times at the Vrijthof in Maastricht, as is tradition. EB&Live spoke with business manager and son Pierre Rieu about the family business, his working relationship with his father, and touring around the world. The company employs 125 full-time staff members who go on tour, says Pierre Rieu. “Half of them are on stage and the other half are behind the scenes.” André Rieu’s production has four sets, including scenery, the stage, and technical equipment, so they can be assembled and used for performances anywhere in the world. At the time of this interview, one set is in Abu Dhabi (the Capital of the United Arab Emirates), one is in Sofia (Bulgaria), one is being transported to Mexico (North America), and the last set is being prepared for Chile (South America). “But we only have one group of fantastic people we work with. During the pandemic, we did our very best to keep everyone on board.” Pierre is therefore very happy that these people have stayed with the company. “During the Vrijthof productions, for example, they know exactly where everything is delivered, where it needs to be placed, or where it needs to be set up. Most of them are doing this for the 20th time now, and that knowledge and experience are invaluable.” 24 years Even after 24 years, working in the live entertainment industry never gets boring. “It’s incredibly hard work—I want to make that clear right off the bat. Just the traveling alone is very exhausting, but luckily I get to do it with a really great group of people. What helps is the audience’s appreciation every night. That’s what drives us at André Rieu Productions. That’s why we do it—for that wild crowd, night after night.” “Every year we put on a new show,” Pierre Rieu explains. “That’s how we keep the concerts interesting for both the audience and ourselves. The crew really feels like a second family. I used to not care much for what my father used to say, but now that I’ve been touring with them for 24 years myself, I not only understand it, but I also agree with it.” Since André Rieu has now reached the age of 74, it was decided that he should take things a bit easier. “We’re doing around 90 concerts this year, but there have also been years when we did 140. Besides my father, there are also many veterans who have been with us for 30 or 35 years.” The Future “We want to keep doing this for a very long time,” says Pierre Rieu about the future of André Rieu Productions. “We’ll keep up the number of productions and the pace we’ve established. We take good care of and look out for one another. We’ve been a team for so long that we can ask each other how things are going and whether someone might need to stay home for a week to recharge. We need everyone, which is why we strive to create a workplace where anything can be discussed—a place where you can share your concerns and speak up when things are not going well.” There’s always room for improvement, says Pierre Rieu. “Every evening, there are things that could be better. Even during the intermission of a concert, my father is busy giving feedback. Maybe a soloist will make a mistake in the dark, and the audience won’t even notice. But he will—he sees everything and hears everything. He’s a perfectionist through and through.” André Rieu has been giving concerts with the Johann Strauss Orchestra all over the world since 1988, but he still has one dream: to make it big in the United States. “We tour there every year, and tickets sell well. But that stops at 9,500 people in New York, even though it’s such a big country where there really must be a market for larger concerts. He can walk down the street there without being recognized—that really has to change,” says Pierre Rieu with a laugh. “My dad is always thinking about the next step, even during a concert. He’s barely off the stage for a minute, and he’s already talking to me about the next tour or expanding the business.” Maastricht Every year, André Rieu’s production also stops in his hometown of Maastricht for no fewer than 12 concerts. “During our concert series in our hometown, 150,000 concertgoers representing 100 nationalities come to Maastricht, spread over 12 evenings. Those hometown concerts are something truly special—it’s really fantastic. The impact on the hospitality industry and local retailers in the region is also enormous. Every evening, there are 88 buses alone on the Market square to take concertgoers to various hotels in the region. It’s wonderful that we can do that for the city.” All on Our Own Starting this summer, the company will also handle the distribution of André Rieu’s music. “No record label can match our motivation and expertise.” By also releasing the music itself, André Rieu Productions finds itself in a rather unique position. “I don’t think there are very many production companies in the world that have their own orchestra of more than 60 musicians and also produce everything themselves. Everything is done in-house. We book the venues; we handle the promotion. To be able to offer lodging and dining packages in every city, we founded André Rieu Travel. And for the past 10 years, we’ve been working with our regular distributor for movie theaters, Piece of Magic. “It started with 40 movie theaters in England, and now there are 3,500 worldwide, so every fan around the world can still see an André Rieu concert.” Earlier this year [February 26, 2024], André Rieu Productions was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Live Entertainment Production Awards. Pierre Rieu received the award from Emile Roemer, the King’s Commissioner in Limburg. Since its inception in 2015, the Live Entertainment Production Awards has established itself as the premier awards show for the live entertainment industry. Incidentally, this interview with Pierre Rieu can also be found in the lavishly produced yearbook *The Class of ’23*, which spotlights all the nominees and winners of the 2023 Live Entertainment Production Awards.