ANDR RIEU WINS ALBUM OF THE YEAR AT CLASSIC BRITS

Fri 13 May 2011

Andr Rieu has won the Album of the Year award at the Classic BRITs 2011, for Moonlight Serenade, which topped the classical charts in the UK for much of last year. The violinist – who has transformed waltz music into a stadium draw – was awarded the prized accolade from Classic FM presenter, John Suchet. Andr and his Johann Strauss Orchestra were awarded “Album of the Year” Andr is still on tour in Australia, but sent a video message, saying: “It has been a truly wonderful night, keep waltzing. I’ll be back in the UK very soon.”

Andre Rieu

Moonlight Serenade is just one of many of Rieu’s albums that have occupied the classical charts in the past year. In February he received an award for One Million Units Shipped in 2010? from Decca Records in the UK. He has also sold out an arena tour of worldwide venues in 2011 including London’s 02 in April, where he performed to 16,000 British fans – a record attendance for him for an arena concert. His sold-out Australian tour continues tonight in Sydney.

The Classic FM Album of the Year Award saw 10 of the best selling classical albums from last year put to public vote. Billboard magazine says, “No surprises for Classic FM Album Of The Year…. Obviously, the winner was everyone’s favorite Andr Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra….”

Andr Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra return to North America for “An Unforgettable Evening with Andre Rieu” fall tour beginning September 10 in Calgary at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “An Unforgettable Evening with Andr Rieu” will give fans what they’ve come to expect from Rieu’s North American performances: the maestro conducting his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra and playing his world-famous Stradivarius violin to create a celebratory atmosphere, where fans are encouraged to get out of their seats and waltz in the aisles. Top worldwide press outlets have taken notice, with Britain’s Daily Telegraph describing the concerts as follows: “Rows of ordinary people who go to his shows with no intention of dancing invariably find themselves swaying and mesmerized, pied piper-style, into waltzing.”

Known as “The King of Waltz,” Andr Rieu is one of the best-selling live acts in the world. He was ranked as the #1 male performer of 2009, and earned one of the top-grossing tours of 2010, despite the three-month postponement of concerts in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand due to a viral infection. Rieu has sold more than 30 million albums globally, and has broken all classical concert records, packing stadiums and arenas with more than 700,000 adoring fans each year. His latest album, Forever Vienna, reached #2 on the British pop chart, the highest-ever position for a classical record. He has been certified 100-times platinum in Australia, and has his own television series in the Netherlands. Andr Rieu performed for the British Queen in 2009 and for the Dutch Queen in 2010-an honor for any artist.

For complete tour and ticket information, visit: www.andrerieu.com.

An Unforgettable Evening with Andr Rieu Tour

Saturday 10-Sept. Calgary, Alberta Scotiabank Saddledome
Sunday 11-Sept. Edmonton, Alberta, Rexall Place
Monday 12-Sept. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Credit Union Centre
Wednesday 14-Sept. Winnipeg, Manitoba MTS Centre
Friday 16-Sept. Minneapolis, MN Xcel Energy Center
Saturday 17-Sept. Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
Sunday 18-Sept. Chicago, IL United Center
Monday 19-Sept. Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
Tuesday 18-Oct. San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
Wednesday 19-Oct. Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre
Thursday 20-Oct. Houston, TX Reliant Arena
Saturday 19-Nov. Washington, DC Patriot Center
Sunday 20-Nov. Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy center
Monday 21-Nov. Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena
Tuesday 22-Nov. Ottawa, Ontario Scotiabank Place
Wednesday 23-Nov. Montreal, Qubec Bell Centre
Friday 25-Nov. Manchester, NH Verizon Arena
Saturday 26-Nov. Albany, NY Times Union Center
Sunday 27-Nov. Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
Monday 28-Nov. Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Tuesday 29-Nov. Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Arena
Wednesday 30-Nov. Wallingford, CT Oakdale Theatre