The renowned Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu privately lobbied European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, seeking up to €15 million in funding from the EU to plug a shortfall in a planned world tour, documents show.
The pair met briefly earlier this year during the European elections, when Dr von der Leyen was taking part in a campaign debate in Maastricht, the Dutch city where Mr Rieu lives.
In correspondence sent afterwards, Mr Rieu raised the prospect of the EU executive funding part of a world tour he was planning to stage in 2026. The May 1st email, seen by The Irish Times, said he wanted to put together a choir of singers drawn from across Europe, to accompany his touring orchestra.
Mr Rieu, famous for his popular concerts, said there was a “lack of funding” for the tour, which ticket sales alone would not make up. Estimates from his production company indicated they were between €10-15 million short, he told Dr von der Leyen. The tour was to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss, the famous Austrian composer.
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Mr Rieu said he had planned the tour because “Europe and the European idea” were very close to his heart. “As I would very much like to organise this Johann Strauss World Tour with the European Choir and thus promote the European idea, I am asking the EU for financial support,” he said.
[ When Ursula met André: Dutch conductor sought EU funds for world tourOpens in new window ]
In a response on August 9th, the commission directed Mr Rieu towards Creative Europe, its funding programme set up to support the arts sector. The correspondence back and forth was released to The Irish Times, following a request under access to information rules.
Dr von der Leyen later hosted Mr Rieu in her Brussels office in early October, where they discussed the “role of culture in Europe,” according to minutes of the meeting. The conductor – who is due to perform in Dublin in April – again raised the idea of bringing together “musicians from EU member states to form the largest European male choir”, minutes stated. A commission spokeswoman said they were not aware of Mr Rieu making a subsequent application for funding.
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Pierre Rieu, the musician’s adult son who also met Dr von der Leyen, said the family had decided against seeking EU funding for the project. They ran a “healthy business”, selling more than 800,000 tickets this year across 90 concerts, he said.
Their production company had not sought subsidies before and the family were concerned about possible backlash, given Mr Rieu was a “man with a lot of money”, he said. “We’re still going to try to do the tour, we’re going to look for commercial sponsors.”
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