08/18/2011

ANDRÉ RIEU LAUNCHES CONTEST TO FIND FAN “PHOTOGRAPHERS” FOR U.S. AND CANADIAN TOUR DATES

Winners in Each City to Receive Concert Tickets, Digital Camera, Autographed Tour Program and More

“AN EVENING WITH ANDRÉ RIEU”
FEATURING HIS JOHANN STRAUSS ORCHESTRA
2011 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
KICKS OFF SEPTEMBER 10 IN CALGARY, ALBERTA

André Rieu, the world's most popular classical artist, is launching a contest at his Web site and official Facebook page to select a fan in each market of his 2011 U.S. and Canadian tour to be the “Official André Rieu Photographer” of that concert. Each winner will receive a pair of tickets for great seats at their concert of choice, a Nikon CoolPix digital camera, an autographed tour program, and a chance to win a specially designed canvas that utilizes their photo. Winners will document their experiences at the concerts, with photos taken before and during the performance, and then send their favourite shots to the Web site after the concert. The best photos from each concert will be featured on Andre's site, offering fans not at those shows a glimpse of what they're missing.

The contest begins today at www.AndreRieu.com and www.facebook.com/andrerieu. Winners will be announced one week before each concert date.

“An Evening with André 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,” André Rieu is one of the best-selling live acts in the world. He was ranked as the #1 male performer of 2009, and had the 8th highest-grossing tour in the world as of mid-2011. 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. André 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.