Mirusia
Encyclopedia
Mirusia Louwerse is a Dutch Australian
soprano
. She performs as 'Mirusia' and is seen by the Australian press as "The Unconventional Pop Star".
Louwerse was born in the Brisbane suburb of Birkdale
. She graduated in December 2006 from the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane obtaining a Bachelor of Music
in Performance in Classical Voice. In 2006, Louwerse became the youngest ever winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland
Opera Award and went on to record a debut album entitled She Walks in Beauty.
Louwerse is a lyric soprano
and has performed in such operas as Mozart's The Magic Flute
, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges
and Britten's Albert Herring
.
Her aunt, who lives in the Netherlands, contacted André Rieu
to tell him about her niece's talent. He listened to her voice on her website and phoned her straight away and two days later she was standing before him in his studio ready to sing.
She has been touring with Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu since 2007 as soprano soloist. She is of Dutch descent and can speak Dutch
fluently. In May 2008, André Rieu and Louwerse released an album entitled Waltzing Matilda in Australia which made it to the number one position on the Australian music charts and went platinum within 10 days.
Her album Always and Forever was released in Australia on 8 October 2010, and went straight to #1 on the ARIA
classical charts and #17 on the ARIA Pop Charts. It was also released in The Netherlands in December 2010 and reached #26 on the Dutch Pop Charts. Her DVD 'Always & Forever' was released in March 2011 and stayed at the #1 position on the ARIA DVD Charts for 4 weeks.
Louwerse is an ambassador for the Australian Children's Music Foundation and believes strongly that if children are exposed to music or are involved in music, they will grow up to be better human beings. In 2009, Louwerse participated in a concert to raise funds for the ACMF, which raised $100,000 for music in schools in Australia.
Dutch Australian
A Dutch Australian is an inhabitant of Australia with full or partial Dutch ancestry, the majority of these people are part of the Dutch diaspora.-History:...
soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
. She performs as 'Mirusia' and is seen by the Australian press as "The Unconventional Pop Star".
Louwerse was born in the Brisbane suburb of Birkdale
Birkdale, Queensland
Birkdale is a suburb south east of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, within the Redland City local government area. It stretches from Tingalpa Creek in the west, the border with Brisbane City, to Wellington Point in the east...
. She graduated in December 2006 from the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane obtaining a Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
in Performance in Classical Voice. In 2006, Louwerse became the youngest ever winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
Opera Award and went on to record a debut album entitled She Walks in Beauty.
Louwerse is a lyric soprano
Lyric soprano
A lyric soprano is a type of operatic soprano that has a warm quality with a bright, full timbre which can be heard over an orchestra. The lyric soprano voice generally has a higher tessitura than a soubrette and usually plays ingenues and other sympathetic characters in opera. Lyric sopranos have...
and has performed in such operas as Mozart's The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges
L'enfant et les sortilèges
L'enfant et les sortilèges: Fantaisie lyrique en deux parties is an opera in one act, with music by Maurice Ravel to a libretto by Colette. It is Ravel's second opera, his first being L'heure espagnole...
and Britten's Albert Herring
Albert Herring
Albert Herring, Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten.Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera The Rape of Lucretia...
.
Her aunt, who lives in the Netherlands, contacted André Rieu
André Rieu
André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu is a Dutch violinist, conductor, and composer best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra.- Early life and studies :...
to tell him about her niece's talent. He listened to her voice on her website and phoned her straight away and two days later she was standing before him in his studio ready to sing.
She has been touring with Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu since 2007 as soprano soloist. She is of Dutch descent and can speak Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
fluently. In May 2008, André Rieu and Louwerse released an album entitled Waltzing Matilda in Australia which made it to the number one position on the Australian music charts and went platinum within 10 days.
Her album Always and Forever was released in Australia on 8 October 2010, and went straight to #1 on the ARIA
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
classical charts and #17 on the ARIA Pop Charts. It was also released in The Netherlands in December 2010 and reached #26 on the Dutch Pop Charts. Her DVD 'Always & Forever' was released in March 2011 and stayed at the #1 position on the ARIA DVD Charts for 4 weeks.
Louwerse is an ambassador for the Australian Children's Music Foundation and believes strongly that if children are exposed to music or are involved in music, they will grow up to be better human beings. In 2009, Louwerse participated in a concert to raise funds for the ACMF, which raised $100,000 for music in schools in Australia.
Discography
| Year | Album title |
|---|---|
| 2006 | She Walks in Beauty (Independent release) |
| 2007 | Songs of Inspiration (ABC Classics ABC Classics ABC Classics is the classical music record label within the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is internationally recognised as Australia's premier classical music label, with a catalogue of more than 500 titles... ) |
| 2008 | Waltzing Matilda (Universal Australia Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... ) #1 ARIA Pop Charts |
| 2008 | Waltzing Matilda – Special New Zealand Edition (Universal New Zealand) |
| 2008 | Ich tanze mit Dir in den Himmel Hinein (Universal Germany) |
| 2010 | Always & Forever (Universal Australia and Universal Netherlands) #1 Classical Charts |
| 2011 | "Always & Forever" (Universal Australia) #1 ARIA DVD Charts |
External links
- Official website
- Louwerse's page at André Rieu Translations