Anna Reker’s marriage in Bloemendal castle (hotel) in Vaals, Limburg, the Netherlands.

Daughter Elisabeth was born in October 2015.

2017.

Since January 1st 2017 five musicians of André Rieu’s Johann Strauss Orchestra, started a new ensemble, named “The Gracenotes”. Their repertoire is ranging from music of the 18th century to romantic melodies, operetta, musical comedy and a touch of jazz. The unusual compositions require the five members to make new musical arrangements, giving the group a style which is both playful and unique. From left to right: Nadejda Diakoff, Karin Hinze, Anna Reker, Laurianne Thysebaert, Stéphanie Detry.

Click on the picture to the right, to go to the Gracenotes.

This is what André Rieu wrote on his official website to introduce Anna: Anna Reker - Glaser. Anna originally comes from Ukraine and came to Germany aged about 19. At that time her whole life was focused on the catwalk: she was a well-known model and the face of several big brands. But she wanted more for herself than the superficial glamour of a model’s life. She took lessons at the music academy where her high, full soprano voice drew attention. She sings from pop to classical and in my choir she can always be counted on for the highest notes. When we are on tour Anna loves to go to museums, but she also uses the opportunity to spot the latest fashion trends. So for her our international tours are also the ultimate shopping trip! When we are at home Anna prepares young models for the hard life that modelling involves, and supports them through their first steps on the catwalk.

Aachener Zeitung, December 2nd, 2022. by Angela Delonge, translation by Diana D. Le. Anna Reker has been a fixture in André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra for more than ten years. However, this is only her second time at the Maastricht Christmas concerts. Anna Reker is a traveler, her voice and heart are always with her. Yesterday Sofia, today Aachen. The stress of traveling is always a bit in her limbs. But at the interview, the tall blonde woman, who not only has the schedule of a model, but also looks like one, is alert and at the same time a little unsettled. Should a portrait be written about her? Yes why not? After all, the Aachen resident has been one of ten female choir voices in André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra for more than ten years. Touring the world for most of the year. Six concerts in six cities on seven days are not uncommon. Week-long tours are also part of it, for example a three-week South American tour this fall. For the passionate soprano, this is not just everyday life, but fulfillment: "I love my work very much," says Anna Reker and shows a stunning smile. She loves her little daughter and her husband even more, but she knows they are in good hands when grandma comes to look after them. A few months ago, the grandparents even moved to Aachen. The reasons for this bring tears to Anna Reker's eyes. But more on that later. Now the Christmas concerts in Maastricht are on the program under the motto "Christmas with André", for the first time since 2019. For Anna Reker, this will be pure relaxation. Five performances, half an hour's drive there and half an hour back and being with her seven-year-old daughter every evening is a rare blessing for the Aachen singer and for almost all of the 60 participants in the Rieu Orchestra. Anna Reker is the only choral singer from Germany here – along with singers from Belgium and the Netherlands. Again and again one is inclined to describe them as Germans. But Anna Reker is Ukrainian, born in Mykolaiv, the port city in southeastern Ukraine that was hit with cluster bombs right at the start of the Russian raid in February 2022. By early August 2022, 132 civilians had been killed and 619 injured here. The water supply has collapsed, drinking water has to be transported to the city every day, and only salt water comes out of the taps. Anna Reker's parents – her father is Ukrainian, her mother is Russian – have left their homeland and live in Aachen. The mother came a week after the start of the war and stayed - a four-day bus ride and the horrors of war in her bones. The father was initially unable to make the arduous journey for health reasons. But he also wanted to look after the house, hold the fort, just wait until peace reigned again. "When are you coming?" asked the daughter, who has lived in Germany since 1988 and in Aachen since 2001, several times. He had no answer. Two months later, the trip could finally be organized for him. Luckily for the family, and yet a misfortune for the two 72-year-olds, who know their friends and relatives at home and in the war and want to go back every day. As a schoolgirl, Anna Reker moved with her parents to tiny Wünsdorf (then still East Germany) near Berlin, where the high command of the Soviet armed forces in Germany was stationed. It was shortly before the reunification of the two German states, and the father - a professional volleyball player - had been hired as a coach. Another love in Anna Reker's biography was awakened: "I found life in Germany very beautiful and really wanted to live here," she says - still today full of enthusiasm for Germany. Little Anna was noticed as a musical talent at the age of six and was encouraged accordingly. She had enjoyed intensive training in singing, piano, and ballet at the conservatory in her hometown and won a national singing competition as the best soloist. After graduating from high school, further vocal training followed at the music academies in Münster and Cologne/Aachen (Germany). The then 20-year-old worked extremely successfully as a model to earn a living. But a catwalk career was never an option for Anna Reker: "Music is a love that I would never have given up," she says. Rightly so: Her boss André Rieu, who brought the qualified singer into his choir in 2009, praises Anna Reker's "high, full soprano voice". "She sings everything from pop to classical," he says, "and in my choir she's the one who is responsible for the really high notes”. Speaking of high notes: Anna's dream role on stage is "Mimi" from Puccini's "La Bohème". Until this becomes a reality, the singer finds happiness in André Rieu's choir. In trios with her colleagues. In the moments when the feel-good music of the strings trickles into the heart of the audience. Like in this one unforgettable performance in the summer of 2022 in Maastricht, when Anna Reker interpreted the traditional Ukrainian song "Nitsch Jaka" in front of around 12,000 spectators on the Vrijthof, a kind of second national and peace anthem since the beginning of the war. Also a matter of the heart. Anna Reker would do it again at any time.