Attending the André Rieu and His Johann Strauss Orchestra concert was an opportunity to get dressed up and go out on the town. The orchestra has been performing around the world for 30 years and is making a U.S. tour this year. The sold-out concert was an event for music lovers of all kinds. There were moms with their spouses, as well as mothers and grandmothers with their young grandchildren there. I was impressed with the diversity of ages in the crowd! The audience was very familiar with the music and was dancing and laughing throughout the show. My favorite part of the performance was when the crowd rose and sang in unison to the performance of America the Beautiful.
This was my second André Rieu concert, the first being when I went with my mom in North Carolina 15 years ago. She is the one that introduced me to his music as André Rieu is her favorite performer. For years, my mom has gifted me an André Rieu CD for Christmas. She fell in love with the “King of the Waltz” through her own sister’s love for the music. My aunt and uncle are very passionate fans and travel around the world to attend several André Rieu concerts a year.
Because the concert was on a school night, I decided not to bring my 12-year-old daughter. Although she is really into music and would have enjoyed the show, with an early bus ride and 5:45 a.m. wake-up time, it didn’t make sense to keep her out late. A mid-week night out on my own enjoying a wonderful classical music concert was perfect and something all moms should treat themselves to if able!
While the André Rieu concert I attended in Tampa was family-friendly, the Amelie Arena venue itself could stand to cater to families a little better. I found a lack of affordable, kid-friendly food and drink options, so you should consider eating before or after an event if attending with your kids. Also, only small bags are allowed in the Amelie Arena stadium, so your diaper bags, backpacks, and large purses should probably stay at home or in the car.
André Rieu’s new CD, Shall We Dance, can be purchased on Amazon or a variety of other retailers. Two well-known favorites on the new CD include Edelweiss from The Sound of Music and My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, along with many waltz melodies. Target does have an exclusive version of the album with two bonus tracks: Music of the Night (from Phantom of the Opera) and Lara’s Theme (from Dr. Zhivago). Shall We Dance will make a great holiday gift for any music fan in your life, even the youngest, so they can be introduced to the beauty of André Rieu’s music early-on, just as I was by my mom!
When was the last time you treated yourself to a classical music concert?
Debra Dobbs is a professor in Aging Studies at USF in Tampa. She’s mom to an active 12-year-old tween daughter, stepmom to a 19-year-old Syracuse journalism and IT student, and fur mom to Daschund Phin. When not busy teaching or parenting, Debra enjoys exploring the Tampa Bay area with her family and friends.All photos © Debra Dobbs for modernmami™
Disclosure: In collaboration with One2One Network, compensation and complimentary concert tickets were received. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I fell victim to a con artist who posed as André Rieu on Facebook. Being a huge fan of orchestra and considering André Rieu as my idol, I was thrilled when someone named “André Rieu Official” with Rieus’ profile picture contacted me. One thing led to another, and I ended up sending money to support his supposed charity foundations, believing it would be the easiest way to meet him in person. Unfortunately, I realized too late that I had been scammed, losing over $325,000 in the process.
Desperate for a resolution, I reported the case to the FBI ten months ago, but I’m still waiting for their response. It was during this frustrating period that I stumbled upon Mr. Wilford online. He assured me that there was a greater chance of recovering my money, as scammers never cease their fraudulent activities. Apparently, when apprehended, scammers often have substantial amounts of money in their bank accounts or Bitcoin wallets. Mr. Wilford explained that if I could provide comprehensive information about our conversations and all the transaction receipts, there was hope for retrieving my funds.
Initially skeptical, I decided to give it a shot since the FBI’s progress was painfully slow. Mr. Wilford and his team even reached out to the real André Rieu who confirmed that similar cases were being dealt with by his management on various social media platforms. To my astonishment, Mr. Wilford’s forensic teams managed to trace the scammer to Africa, where he was apprehended with millions of dollars in his bank account and Bitcoin wallet. It turns out he had been defrauding unsuspecting online users for quite some time.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation involving online romance, loan, or Bitcoin scams, I highly recommend reaching out to Mr. Wilford and his team (contact@cyberjusticerecoveryhub.com) Together, let’s bring these scammers to justice and make them pay for their wicked acts.