Frank Steijns, page 7.

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Frank Steijns violin and bells (page 7).

October 1st 2019: Frank on Facebook: Celebrating my 25-years Silver Jubilee as city-carillonneur of Weert today.

Click HERE to go to Frank Steijns, page 8. Click HERE to go to Frank Steijns, page 6.

July 2019: Today 25 years ago I started the best 'job' in the world: playing with the Johann Strauss Orchestra of André Rieu. We've been touring together all over the world, living numerous adventures, composing together, playing over 2500 concerts, seeing millions of people smile, cheer, dance... I hope we can continue making music for the rest of our lives!!

November 4, 2019: Mozart wrote a little part for bells in his opera The Magic Flute. Michael Wilmering, lead singer of Opera Zuid, visited the bell tower and sang his aria along with the bells.

November 9, 2019. From the mid-Limburg paper: WEERT. Photos: Rob Timmermans. During the annual meeting of "Friends of the Carillon" Frank Steijns received the Van Horne medal from deputy mayor Paul Sterk. It is a token of appreciation and gratitude to those who, in social, cultural or otherwise, have made themselves worthy for the municipality of Weert or its inhabitants. Frank Steijns has been carillonneur of the municipality of Weert since 1995. He is regarded by his colleagues worldwide as an exceptionally good carillonneur. He has been organizing an international carillon festival in Weert for 15 years, with carillonneurs from all over the world coming to Weert to give concerts. On all kinds of occasions he is a passionate storyteller about the many aspects of the carillon. (At Frank’s side: Madieke Marjon Schoots).

January 31, 2020. Sponsors & relations of Museum “Klok & Peel” (in Asten in the province of North-Brabant) witnessed a unique moment. The agreement was signed for the official transfer of Frank Steijns’ mobile carillon to the museum. Frank Steijns is 1st violinist in André Rieu’s Johann Strauss Orchestra and carillonneur in the Limburg cities Maastricht and Weert. After having so many long and spacial journeys with the Strauss Orchestra, this special instrument becomes now part of the museum collection! “Thank you Frank Steijns for your enormous involvement with Museum Klok & Peel. We are proud of this wonderful asset and will look after 'your child' very well!” Click HERE to read the full article on the Harmony Parlor Blogspot. You can find more about the museum on Frank Steijns page 6 of this website.

March 2020. Worldwide there is a huge problem with the COVID-19 virus (Corona), and André Rieu had to cancel the USA tour after 1 concert (out of 8) to return home. People of many countries, included the Netherlands, has been advised to stay at home to minimize the risk of contamination. Frank is spreading positive and encouraging sounds over the cities Maastricht and Weert and let's follow him: Always look at the bright side of life!!!! Thank you Frank!! Much appreciated!

April 12, 2020. Easter. Frank Steijns and (his soon wife-to-be) Madieke Marjon on Facebook: While all traditional Easter Friday performances of the Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach are currently canceled worldwide, we decided to perform it in a ‘social distance’ way: from the bell tower of Maastricht. This is the song “Have Mercy” (Erbarme Dich). Stay safe everybody.

April 2020. What are Frank and Madieke doing during the Corona crisis with no André Rieu concerts? Rehearsing, high up in the tower. "I am also the city carillonneur in Maastricht, Heerlen and Weert. Fortunately, I can continue to do that kind of work. I have a "study room" in the tower. Nobody hears me there, except the falcons. In a crisis you learn to know your real friends. And that certainly applies to our orchestra. We are now massively sharing old photos and films of the orchestra, the most beautiful memories from the past thirty years. Distance or not, we remain a very close-knit club. Hopefully it won't be too long before we can get back on stage together healthy and safe.

May, 2 2020. Congratulations on your wedding! Frank Steijns and Madieke Marjon Schoots! Congratulations to a beautiful and talented couple. We wish you good health and much happiness for the future together. Another married couple in the Johann Strauss Orchestra!

A corona-proof tower wedding.

May 2020. Concert for National Dutch Remembrance Day 2020, for the casualties of the World Wars and other armed conflicts. Lest we forget. Live from the bell tower of the city hall with Manoe Konings. (photo below). With Madieke, Joline and Christina in the Cellebroeders chapel in Maastricht (photo to the right).

Although it is a seventeenth- century instrument, very little music has ever been written for it. Therefore a carillon player must have a very extended knowledge of music and must be able to arrange and improvise well. Moreover it is also the largest and heaviest musical instrument in the world. In Weert (city in Limburg) the bells weigh 20,000 kilos (44,000 lbs), in Maastricht 8,000 kilo (17,600 lbs) in Bronze. In essence, real “heavy metal”.

May 23, 20020. Source: L-magazine. Author Ronald Colée, photo credits Peter Schols. When, at the age of five he first entered the Saint Servaas tower with his father and looked out over a full Vrijthof, Frank Steijns knew it for sure. Later, just like his father, he would become a carillon player. "This is a very special instrument with a very long history. The sound is still exactly the same as when wooden ships sailed along the river Maas (Meuse) or knights on horseback, rode across the Vrijthof. This is also an instrument in which your ego is secondary. With a violin you play on a stage in front of an audience which you see and applauds when you are finished. With a carillon you play in absolute anonymity and it actually let's the city hall sing. If you listen carefully, you also know exactly what is happening in the city. With Saint Nicolas I play Saint Nicolas songs, with Christmas, Christmas carols, but I also follow the news in the newspaper. If a new opera is being performed or a new business has opened, I try to accommodate my repertoire accordingly. In this manner I want to show that an ancient instrument also can have an up-to-date function.

Mirusia and Frank on Instagram Live: During the months June and July 2020 Mirusia (in Australia) spoke with Laura Engel, Carla Maffioletti and Frank Steijns in the Netherlands, on Instagram Live. Their stories about the Rieu experiences behind the scenes while touring together, are hilarious. Enjoy! If you missed them, click HERE.

Frank Steijns is city carillon player of the town of Weert. On July 25 and 26, 2020, at 3 pm, he played your request songs on the Weert carillon.

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