Wednesday, July 1, 2026 Video and article shared from Wat is loos in Mestreech (What is going on in Maastricht?) Tomorrow, Thursday July 2nd, the Twentieth Series of André Rieu at the Vrijthof will start. An Anniversary with a Real Mestreech Tone Tomorrow, the twentieth edition of the concert series of André Rieu at the Vrijthof will start. A special anniversary that is not only a milestone for André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orkest, but also an edition with a real Mestreechs shade. This year there are twelve concert evenings on the program. Today, the general rehearsal took place at the Vrijthof. The final preparations were made for twelve evenings full of music, emotion, and spectacle in the heart of Maastricht. For singer John Tana, a boyhood dream comes true once again. Together with Frans Theunisz, he will appear on the stage of the Vrijthof twelve times. Performance on the most beautiful square in Maastricht, for thousands of visitors from home and abroad, remains a special experience for him. Also for Pierre Rieu, who has been closely involved in the organization of the concerts for years, the start of the series remains an emotional moment. In an interview, he tells how special it is to see what the concerts mean to Maastricht and to the people who work together on it. A proud Pierre Rieu is looking forward to again a series of evenings full of music, atmosphere, and connection. Who is the mystery guest, remains the big question. Maybe we will get the answer tomorrow. And who knows it will once again be a real Mestreechs party at the Vrijthof. The twentieth series promises to once again be a party of recognition, where music, emotion, and Maastricht pride come together at the Vrijthof.

Duration: 59 minutes

Celebration of 20 years of concerts at Het Vrijthof. It started in 2005 with 3 concerts in July and the main guest was Maastricht native Benny Neyman. After 20 years, there are 12 concerts in July, and André wanted to honor the singers and music from Maastricht in this special series. So, it will be a true Maastricht celebration! July 1st 2026. For the free-to-attend rehearsal evening, fans had to wait outside the gates for a few hours. When they were let in, virtually the entire square filled up, and as is customary with André, he wanted to start promptly at 9 pm. At the beginning of the video recorded by Ruud, André asks everyone to take a seat. No standing or walking; everyone must sit so that he can concentrate properly. Once everyone is seated, the gates close. No one is allowed to go in or out anymore. Everything is tested. Lights, sound, screens, movements, and André regularly drives around the square to check everything. Only parts of musical pieces are played. We see the most breathtaking projection images on the big backdrop. Ludwig Biegel performs the zither act, just as Frédéric Jenniges did previously. Michaela sings the aria Casta Diva (formerly Kimmy Scota). Michel Tirabosco has a beautiful pan flute piece set against a winter landscape, and during the skater's waltz, “snow” falls during this recent heatwave!! Joline Soomers is among the soloists for the operetta numbers before the intermission, and Madieke Schoots performs the finale number "Ode to Joy". The highlight of the evening features singers born in Maastricht, with the Limburg tophit in1995 "Sjeng oan de Geng" from the former dialect band "Nachroave". Be warned: it sticks in your head!!

Linda and Richard Oswick (UK) were sitting in the front row, and Richard hadn't counted on André unexpectedly sitting next to him!! His reaction is priceless! As André gets into his golf cart to drive around the square for the inspection, you can still see Ruud sitting there making video recordings, and me next to him in a red blouse.