Andre Rieu Queues the Waltz with March Tour Dates

World famous violinist Andre Rieu is coming to North America next year as he takes his “And the Waltz Goes On Tour” around the globe.

The North American leg of the tour will kick off March 7 at the Amway Center in Orlando, and will continue through March 20 with a performance at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver. In between, Rieu also will visit Tampa, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose and Seattle, among others.

Coming along with Rieu will be his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu himself, known as “The Waltz King,” will be playing his famous 1732 Stradivarius violin.

“Every night when I play around the whole world, I see with my own eyes what the waltz does with the audience,” Rieu said in a statement. “People get out of their seats and waltz in the aisles spontaneously. They sing, they smile and for a moment they forget all their worries and are happy. That is why this tour is an ode to the waltz!”

And the Waltz Goes On was released in October 2011, and features a title track written by the actor Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Rieu’s tours are consistently well attended, and in 2011 Billboard ranked his tour the 9th highest grossing of the year, which put him just behind Lady Gaga. As a press release notes, “He has broken all classical concert records, packing stadiums and arenas with more than 700,000 adoring fans each year. Rieu has sold over 32 million albums globally and received 330 platinum awards for his albums.”

In other Andre Rieu news, he will be releasing Home for the Holidays on October 30. The set features two hours of Christmas-themed music which was filmed in Rieu’s hometown of Maastricht, Holland and will be available on CD, DVD and Blu-ray. Songs include “Silent Night,” “White Christmas” and “Jingle Bells.”