IJmuidener Courant, by Guus Hartendorf November 13, 2022. Violinist Cord Meyer-Luesink was born in Germany, but now lives in Santpoort-Noord. "After the TV performance, André Rieu asked if I wanted to come and play in his orchestra" Cord Meyer-Luesink from Santpoort-Noord was born in 1973 in Hamburg, Germany, and attended primary school there. His mother was musically inclined, but Cord's uncle Günter won out musically. Cord: “The school system in Germany is not the same as in the Netherlands, because I was already in secondary school when I was ten. There, a very enthusiastic and active teacher, Rainer Holdhoff, gave music lessons. He had instruments at his disposal and asked me to play the violin in the school's youth orchestra. I did and later I received violin lessons in a group.” The music teacher saw talent in his student and asked if he would like to take private lessons. Unfortunately, mother Meyer did not have the financial means for that. Then, Holdhoff decided to teach eleven-year-old Cord for free. That would take nine years. At that time, Cord became concertmaster at the Youth Symphony Orchestra Hamburg. Cord: “In 1994, I was allowed to take an entrance exam for the conservatory in Dresden, where I was accepted. I didn't really enjoy it there, because there was a different culture in the former Eastern Bloc country. In addition, I found organizing all kinds of musical matters fantastic, such as setting up a chamber orchestra. This was not appreciated at the time in Dresden in my first year of study.” Semperoper In Dresden, Cord played in the Semperoper, named after architect Gottfried Semper. It is the third version of the Opera House, since the previous one was completely destroyed in February 1945 during the bombing of Dresden. After Dresden, Cord went for a follow-up study to Lübeck in northern Germany. In this port city, the violinist was having a great time. The program focused on classical music by composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and other greats from that genre. André Rieu In 1999, Cord performed in a small show orchestra on German television. André Rieu played with his orchestra as a guest on the same show. Cord: "That show orchestra consisted of a rock band, wind players, and two violinists. Once in a while we also played in Maastricht. Anyway, after the TV performance, André Rieu asked if I wanted to come and play in his orchestra. He needed violinists. I liked it and so I joined the Johann Strauss Orchestra (JSO) when I was 25. In order to integrate well in the Netherlands, I wanted to learn to speak Dutch as quickly as possible and I managed that in two months. When others spoke to me in German I asked them not to do so. After all, in my social life in the Netherlands I also had to speak Dutch.” Being a member of the JSO means a lot of traveling to all kinds of places in faraway countries. As far as Cord is concerned, the highlight of those trips abroad is the trip to Japan in 2004. The violinist speaks about this: "There is a special reason for that. On that four-week journey I met my wife Judith Luesink, because she had just become a singer with the orchestra. Japan is an exceptionally beautiful country with many cultural aspects. You are really in a very different world. In the meantime I have been there eight times.” Santpoort Singer Judith Luesink was born in 1980 in Kerkrade. She studied singing at the conservatories of Rotterdam and The Hague. She lived in Leiden and The Hague. Her secondary subject was piano. She is a "high soprano" and would perform with the JSO until 2017. She stopped singing with the Orchestra, because raising their two children, a full-time job, can hardly be combined. Judith is an independent divorce mediator in her practice in Santpoort-Noord: "Mediation Center Santpoort". Because of her job, Cord and Judith moved from Limburg to the picturesque village of Santpoort-Noord in 2015. Cord: “We were looking for a house somewhere in the “Randstad” (Western part of the Netherlands) and received a tip to take a look in Santpoort. We drove around here in the area and ended up in IJmuiden. That really appealed to me, because it is a port city, just like my hometown of Hamburg. From Santpoort- Noord, you can easily reach the larger cities with shops, entertainment options, and concert halls. In short, an excellent choice.” No day off Playing at the JSO means working according to a tight schedule. In addition to the performances, there there are also rehearsals. There is no such thing as just a day off. Cord was only able to perform privately at times during the corona pandemic; and must also fit into the orchestra's schedule. In addition to his work in the large orchestra, Cord is part of the Maastricht Salon Orchestra. André Rieu once founded this ensemble himself and thus celebrated his first major successes. Now the ensemble consists of five members of the JSO, of which Cord is one. He plays on his own violin dated from the year 1932 and built by the southern French violin maker Albert Blanchi. Cord and Judith's children are also musical. Juliëtte plays the piano and Florian plays the guitar. Cord's hobby is running and he is also an avid roaster. This month, Cord has gigs in Tel Aviv and Portugal on 'the menu'. When father is away, his wife and children contact him via FaceTime. Anniversary Violinist Cord Meyer-Luesink lives in Santpoort-Noord with his wife Judith and their two children Juliëtte (10 years old) and Florian (8 years old). Cord has been playing 2nd violin for almost 25 years with André Rieu's well-known Johann Strauss Orchestra (JSO). His Silver Jubilee is approaching.