For much-loved soprano Mirusia Louwerse, it’s time to celebrate. So, she is embarking on a series of shows called Celebration – Mirusia to mark a special year.
Mirusia, who is one of those entertainers known by a simple moniker (think Madonna or Bjork), isn’t coy about the fact that she turns 40 on March 29. A lot of singers tend to shy way from revealing their age, for various reasons.
“But I’m not ashamed of turning 40,” Mirusia says. “Besides, people can just look it up. When people say to me, I thought you were younger, I hope it’s because of my personality.”
Some people have her enshrined in memory as that twentysomething “Angel of Australia” who became a global star performing alongside Andre Rieu after being the youngest-ever recipient of the prestigious Dame Joan Sutherland Opera Award.
Mirusia has Dutch heritage and lived in The Netherlands for some years, toured the world with Rieu and eventually came home to settle back into Brisbane’s bayside with husband Youri Wystyrk. The couple have a seven-year-old daughter, Sascha. Wystyrk is an executive at Kayo Stadium (also known as Dolphin Stadium) at Redcliffe, home of The Dolphins rugby league team. Of course, Mirusia is a supporter of the team. “I always have my ‘phins up,” she says.
You might like
It would be nice if they did well on the field this year and joined in the spirit of her Celebration – Mirusia, which begins with a show at Redland Performing Arts Centre at Cleveland on March 1 before shows in Ingham (March 15), Tweed Heads (May 10) and Kedron-Wavell Services Club in Brisbane (May 25).
She will pick up the Celebration -Mirusia tour again later in the year and will be busy in between, which includes a star turn at Opera in The Gardens in Brisbane on June 1.
Meanwhile, her birthday will be a personal milestone and a time to reflect on a flourishing solo career filled with unforgettable moments and music that has touched the hearts of millions worldwide. Mirusia has 12 albums to her name, has toured with The Seekers and sings across genres. As well as being dubbed the “Angle of Australia” she has also been described as “Australia’s songbird” by Australian baritone Denis Walter.
Andre Rieu says he is “proud to have been there from the start and to see her career take off”. “After having worked with this incredibly talented young lady I can only wish her all the best in her solo career,” Rieu says.
Subscribe for updates
Her last album, Classique, topped the charts and her Celebration – Mirusia tour will feature fan favourites.
“This tour is a ‘best of’ and I will depend on the audience to choose some songs from my repertoire,” Mirusia says. “I’ve been doing this kind of multiple-choice segment and we’ve even had arguments in the audience over what I should sing. I love to chat with my audience and I think that’s something I learnt from Andre.”
She says people always want to hear her version of Schubert’s Ave Maria, which is a social media hit with about 75 million views.
“I will ask the audience if they want to hear it again,” Mirusia says. “They always do.”
She has an uncanny ability to mix opera with more mainstream show tunes and other music. That’s one of the secrets to her success. The main secret is, however, a voice which takes her audience to another place, a higher plane.
That’s what you get with the Angel of Australia.
Celebration – Mirusia starts at Redland Performing Arts Centre, Cleveland, on March 1, rpac.com.au