RTV Maastricht, December 31st 2024, by Erwin Lennarts Translated by Diana D. Le Maastricht gets new city composer Maastricht will soon have a new city composer. On Sunday, January 19, the Maastricht Composers Foundation will announce who will succeed Frank Steijns, who was appointed as the first city composer in December 2022. Steijns has created several compositions over the past two years, including a new song for the 2025 Heiligdomsvaart. Assignment The assignment for the new city composer is: ensure renewal of contemporary classical music; write compositions on current themes, important events or utopian ideas; commissioned or on own initiative; for professional musicians and amateurs; for all citizens and cultures of the city of Maastricht'. The new city composer of Maastricht will also be appointed for two years. Farewell The farewell of the current city composer Frank Steijns and the announcement of the new one will be framed by a concert in the Sint Servaas Basilica. Frank Steijns will then perform his own compositions on the carillon (which can be heard in the Pandhof) and work by the new city composer will sound on the organ.

June 29, 2026 interviewing article from De Limburger. by Ronald Colée, © Annemiek Mommers translation by Ineke, Diana D. Le Frank Steijns has been with the Rieu Orchestra for 35 years: "Without André, I would place my violin on the windowsill like a vase with a flower in it" With five jobs, Frank Steijns is a busy man. The 55-year-old from Maastricht is a violinist with André Rieu’s Johann Strauss Orchestra, city carillonneur of Maastricht, Weert, and Heerlen, and he runs his own music production company. "I work hard, but I have never had to apply for a job a single day." Song lyrics as a guide Every two weeks, we interview a well-known Limburg resident from the world of Media & Culture using song lyrics as a starting point. This time, it is violinist and carillonneur Frank Steijns. The Bilzen native studied violin at the conservatory in Maastricht and violin music theory, and orchestral conducting at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven. At the same time, he trained as a carillonneur in Mechelen. Since 1991, he has been a member of André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra. He combines this position with the role of city carillonneur in Maastricht (since 1994), Heerlen (1995), and Weert (1997). Steijns was also a pianist with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra from 2015 to 2026. The 55-year-old musician is married to opera singer Madieke Schoots. The couple lives in Maastricht. 1.Geneet van ’t laeve langs este kins (Sjef Diederen – Geneet van ’t laeve) (Enjoy life). “I want to, as comedian Youp van ’t Hek once said, 'cheer towards death'. By the age of twelve, I had already been resuscitated twice. Once after I had drowned in a swimming pool, and once during emergency surgery after doctors had ignored appendicitis for two weeks. "Additionally, I was bullied a lot in my younger years, because I was overweight, wore glasses, lisped, and played the violin. After that second resuscitation, I consciously decided to turn life into one big party. "Because of what I have been through, I now possess tremendous resilience, a great ability to put things into perspective, and I see the humor in everything. I enjoy my jobs as a carillonneur and a member of the Johann Strauss Orchestra. Although, regarding the Burgundian aspect (Steijns laughs), my wife Madieke and my weight coach would allow me to ‘enjoy’ things in a slightly more structured way.” 2. As long as he doesn't become a footballer, they might kick him half to death (Boudewijn de Groot – Jimmy) "As for this title: I never did any sports until I was fifty. I weighed the same in my first year of secondary school as I do now. I still remember coming home from school proudly because I had been allowed to call 'start' during the Cooper test. "From the very moment I was five years old and saw my father inaugurate the new carillon of the Sint- Servaas for a Vrijthof packed with people, I wanted to become a carillonneur too. However, when I saw him playing the City Hall carillon a week later for an empty Market, I also knew that I wanted to change that. "I wanted to make the whole world just as enthusiastic about this instrument as I was. That almost became an obsession. But thanks to the André Rieu act where I run into the tower of the Sint-Servaas – and got more than fifteen million views for my rendition of the Motörhead song 'Ace of Spades' – I think I succeeded quite well. "In addition, I am of course really hit with the jackpot; I haven't been unemployed for a single day, because André called the very day after my final exams to recruit me for his Johann Strauss Orchestra. He is more than just my boss; he is also my coach and mentor. Just as he affectionately speaks of a small and large family in relation to his orchestra, I have a small and a big father.” 3. Papa, I'm becoming more and more like you (Stef Bos – Papa) “I sometimes say: I wasn't raised, but drilled, by two incredibly sweet, creative, and musical parents. Before my birth, my father, Mathieu, was on the verge of an international breakthrough as a conductor and concert pianist, but then I arrived and he became a teacher at the music school so he could be home more often. "He was a man with enormous charisma, a natural authority. The ideal father, even though the failure of his dreamed-of career always weighed on him. My mother, Magda, had everything it takes to become an academic, but because she already had three brothers who were studying, that wasn't meant for her. So, she became a schoolteacher. She was strict. A woman with ironclad discipline. A real pitbull. "In Waterschei, she taught a class of sixty children of eighteen different nationalities, not a single one of whom made a spelling mistake by the end of the year. My mother was also one of the founders of remedial education, teaching in Belgium, an educational method for children with learning difficulties. "She was my teacher in the second and third grades of primary school. Do you know what the only conclusion she wrote in my report card, which contained five tens, four nine-and-a-halves, three nines, and an eight? ‘Frank works too sloppily’. "Later in life, she studied at the art academy, which she completed with a ten. But then she went blind, meaning she was barely able to practice her artistic profession. My mother insisted that I also take violin lessons when I was six, because she had wanted to learn to play the instrument herself but had never gotten around to it. "Eventually, I went to the conservatory. Not because I enjoyed playing the violin, but because I was good at it. For that reason, the violin as an instrument probably never became my great love. I like the carillon much more. That is why, after the conservatory, I also went to the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen. And now, so many years later, I am leading the touring life my father missed, and I am the violinist my mother had wanted to become. There, every night on stage, I fulfill not only my dreams but also a little bit of theirs."

04 She masters the art of belonging to me (Frans Halsema – For Her) “At fifteen, I thought I would never get a girlfriend. Until, around my twentieth birthday, the ladies in the orchestra said: you are such a sweetheart, you can have anyone. That’s when I started losing weight, got braces, and glasses with more expensive, thinner lenses. I was a late bloomer, but I have had several relationships since then. The nice thing is that I have managed to maintain a bond of friendship with all my exes. The most important thing I learned from those relationships is that you cannot possess someone, but are actually only allowed to walk alongside him or her. "Eleven years ago, I met Madieke. She went to Prague as a substitute with the Johann Strauss Orchestra. We had good conversations, but after that trip, we lost sight of each other. Until I ran into her a year later at Opera Zuid. During the rehearsal period, we kept bumping into each other for weeks on end at the craziest places and moments. Almost too much to be a coincidence. As if someone pulled on the strings. It felt different, too. Whereas before, I could fall in love with a canary at first sight, here it was immediately a deep-seated feeling. "Madieke was a train I couldn't afford to miss. But then again, I was constantly on tour and she had all sorts of projects in the Netherlands. So, this relationship didn't stand a chance of succeeding anyway. When André heard that, he said: 'Then why don't I offer her a one-year contract?' The rest is history. "We have now been married for six years and we make sure that our relationship never becomes taken for granted. What do I like about her? Everything. She is stunning, she is honest, she can sing beautifully, laugh uncontrollably, and is enterprising in spirit. In addition, she is truly hilariously funny when she—usually in the bath—practices Maastricht dialect words out loud, so she now speaks them almost without an accent. "When I once introduced her to double bassist Dominic Seldis, he said to me: 'Is this your wife? Then you must be rich as shit!' That is exactly how it feels. We are both Capricorns and keep each other well balanced. We understand each other with just a few words, even though we are incredibly different in some respects. I often taste the sweet first and then the sour, whereas with Madieke, it is usually the other way around. "Because we are both musicians, we also understand each other's passion and realize that when you are—as is the case with us—on each other's heels twenty-four-seven, you occasionally feel the need to have time for yourself. Madieke is much more structured than I am. My greatest strength, on the other hand, lies in improvising. That has proven to be an excellent combination of qualities in good times and bad." 5. Stars come; stars go. Only Elvis remains (Gorki – Mia) “Abroad, André is sometimes introduced as the world’s most famous unknown guy. He himself always puts that description into perspective with: who am I next to Frank Sinatra? In a sense, that applies to me too. As a member of the Johann Strauss Orchestra, I get to stand in his shadow. Or as the Australian opera singer Nellie Melba – of the peaches and toast named after her – was once told by conductor Arturo Toscanini: ‘Madam, you may be a star, but in the light of the sun all stars pale.’ "Occasionally my name is mentioned as André’s successor, but that is something I absolutely would not want, nor would I be able to make happen. I am not going to succeed André, nor anyone else. For there are a great many little stars within the orchestra, but there is only one sun.” 6. No more fearful heart than mine (Rob de Nijs – Banger hart) “Because of what I experienced at a young age, I have a physical tendency to be fearful. I don't dare to skate or dive into the canal, and I will never go skydiving either. In fact, not even over a fifty-centimeter vaulting horse at the gym. But I am not afraid of death. Because I have experienced it twice. Everything goes black before your eyes and that’s it. Nothing to it. I found waking up again more exciting. I did find the powerlessness scary, though. That you go headfirst into the deep end as a toddler, literally screaming your lungs out, but only see air bubbles escaping and realize that no one can hear you. Fortunately, they picked me up from the bottom in time. But I never want to go through that again. "What many people don't expect from me is that I have stage fright. But only when I am standing on stage by myself. For instance, André once handed me his violin and jacket with the microphone during a rehearsal and I say: ‘Why don’t you play in my place for a moment?’ That makes me break out in a sweat and start trembling. I used to have that for a long time on the carillon too. Fortunately, that has changed from ‘help, the whole city can hear me’ to ‘wow, the whole city can hear me’. "I also still have nightmares about my violin exam in 1994. I dream that I have to do it over and it goes completely wrong. Fortunately, in the orchestra, André takes that fear off our hands. Because without him, I would just put my violin on the windowsill like a vase with a flower in it. I have fewer problems with playing the piano, because when you press a key, at least sound comes out. That is why I will never play the violin at a wedding, because if you tremble, you don’t make the bride or the groom happy.”

Frank and Madieke in Oslo, June 2024.

Go back to Frank Steijns, page 10, click HERE.

7. Just give me sweet white wine and a pizza with pineapple (Snelle – Pizza with pineapple) “My weight is stable now, but remains a struggle for life. Since I’ve had a nutrition coach, I’ve gone back to cottage cheese and bell peppers. Every day starts with Skyr with blueberries and ends with chocolate with an 80 percent cocoa content. Strikingly enough, I eat much more than before, but mostly protein with vegetables, vegetables, and more vegetables. "Because Madieke is also an entrepreneur at the cooperative supermarket Gedeelde Weelde (Shared Wealth) alongside her job at the Johann Strauss Orchestra, we always eat organic and sustainable. The biggest difference from before is that I now eat what my body needs and not what my sugar crash craves.” 8. Inherit your child's eyes, look through them (Spinvis – Kom terug) “I still possess a childlike wonder. I can look at an ant just like a little child and study all its parts. I also never want to stop being a child and fantasizing. For instance, I am the project leader of the Stichting Toekomstmuziek (Future Music Foundation), a completely new music system where 250 primary school children receive violin lessons during school hours. And when I show such a child a violin and ask ‘what can you do with this?’ and they answer: ‘smash it to pieces’, then I say ‘yessss, how would that sound?’ and the ice is broken. After which that child guards the violin with their life. "What I struggle with a bit more is dealing with electronic devices. Like when the functions of my smartphone have changed yet again after another update. Even though I’ve always said: that never happens to me. But what I do enjoy is playing a trick on an AI program like ChatGPT. By conducting the conversation in such a way that it gets caught in a thought loop from which it cannot escape or completely talks itself into a rut. Let's see if my intelligence beats the artificial one." 9. It is difficult to remain modest when you are as good as I am (Peter Blanker – It is difficult to remain modest) “How satisfied am I with myself? Well, I regularly suffer from imposter syndrome: the feeling that everything I have achieved was due to pure luck. I can do a lot of things, but I also know who I owe them to. "Of course, I got a kickstart from my upbringing and I also realize that I have had a lot of privileges. In addition, I often find pride an inappropriate emotion. I have little ego; I consider myself rather selfless. I meet a lot of people and have respect for those who are just as sweet to the chambermaid as to the hotel manager; who are nice to people from whom they need nothing. Unfortunately, I see the opposite happening too often. I really got that genuine interest in others from my dad. I hope that remains.” 10. Dich kriegs hulp van den tied jong. Den tied sleip dich doardoor (Neet oet Lottum – Hald mich ’s vas) You get help from time; time drags you through it. Song: Hold me tight. “Loss and how I deal with it? That’s a good one. Dad and Mom were once washing an expensive English dinner service together, collected through savings, when my mother dropped the lid of the showpiece—the coffee pot—and started crying. To which my father responded very dryly: ‘Then this is of no use to us either,’ and also dropped the pot on the floor, breaking it. That applies to me too: the loss of material things doesn’t bother me. "With people, it’s a different story, although it is also part of the circle of life: you are born and you die. Of course, I find it a pity that Beethoven and Bach are no longer alive. Didn’t Bach compose something like a thousand works? Well, I would have liked to hear his five thousandth as well. But yes, without transience, life has no value. That is why I find the memento-mori-philosophy—that death is a reason to live more consciously and gratefully—a beautiful thought. For that reason, I try never to say something to someone as a final word that I might unexpectedly no longer be able to rectify.” 11. Enne gojje mins blieft altied leave (Rowwen Hèze – Twieje wurd) (A good person lives forever) “How do I want to live on? Well. Madieke and I have no children, but I do leave behind a few beautiful compositions in which a piece of me can live on. That is why I would find it beautiful if someday – when all the sounds of the Johann Strauss Orchestra’s Vrijthof concerts have faded – someone finds a piece of paper with my notes on it somewhere and brings me to life once more in that way.” 12. Frank Steijns’ own choice: Speaking words of wisdom, let it be (The Beatles – Let it be) “'Let it be' is my favorite song on the carillon. Written in the time of the hippies: why fight for something and put in the effort, because life isn't always something you can shape. There is a famous Jewish joke that goes: 'Do you want to make God laugh? Then tell him about your plans.' But you can't leave everything to chance either. If you want to win the lottery, you still have to buy a ticket. "I pursued three studies simultaneously and have been combining four jobs and a business for over thirty years. For that reason, I haven't had a TV in the house for twenty years either, because I never watched it anyway. Now, for the first time in my life, I have made a choice to take things a bit easier. "I recently stopped being a pianist with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra. I am not worried about what might happen when André stops with the Johann Strauss Orchestra. The most beautiful things in my life have always come my way spontaneously, at exactly the right moment. I have never had to apply for a job for a single day, traveled the whole world, been rejected, but also been allowed to love people intensely. I have never known a boring day in my life. So, let it be."

© Marcel van Hoorn

© Marcel van Hoorn

Article from: “Neighborhood network Wyckerpoort”; section “special neighbors” September 11, 2024 Translation: Ineke, edited by John. Madieke and Frank, musical top athletes ‘How incredibly beautiful this is’ In ‘Special neighbors’ this time Madieke Marjon Schoots and Frank Steijns. A "set" and both affiliated with the Johann Strauss Orchestra. In their house on “de Groene Loper” (The "Green Carpet," a new district in Maastricht), they bundle an impressive mountain of musicality which they share just as easily with the children in Wyckerpoort (a district in Maastricht) as with tens of thousands of concertgoers from all over the world on the Vrijthof. Madieke sings as a classically trained mezzo-soprano in the choir of the orchestra. Frank is first violinist and arranger. He does not always play the first "fiddle" violin at home, as is evident from the story about their move to Wyckerpoort. Madieke: ‘We had been looking for another house in Maastricht for a long time. That always went wrong. You think you know all of Funda (site for houses for sale), but I had not thought of new construction. In the end, I registered us for four new-build homes. During a tour, I received a phone call from the real estate agent at the airport. At that time, Frank didn't know anything about anything. Right there, on the spot we had to make a quick decision based on photos on the iPhone screen. Shot The most important thought while in the departure hall: will there be enough room for the musical ambitions? That turned out to be the case "and so, suddenly we had a house," Madieke recalls. On the ground floor she has her room with a grand piano, where she gives singing lessons. On the top floor Frank rehearses, composes and arranges (also for André Rieu) on the electric piano. After two years, the quick decision at the airport turned out to be a direct hit: "I have never lived anywhere with so much pleasure, this is the first time I feel like I am really coming home," says Frank. "From our balcony we have very nice contact with the neighbours on the Old Hickoryplein, more contact even than with others on the Groene Loper." Top sport Coming home with pleasure is not a superfluous luxury for those who travel so much with the André Rieu's orchestra. And these are certainly not holiday trips. The journeys are tough due to jet lag and the countless hours of waiting at the airport. And then there is also the physical exertion during the performances. Madieke: "Singing is sports. You are really performing during a concert. I train my technique, conveying emotion and my endurance. I think my vocal fitness has improved by 400 percent because of the Rieu concerts. Very occasionally during a concert you have time for such a moment when you realize how incredibly beautiful this is. That we can make so many people happy. That radiates through in the audience.’ In addition to the physical exertion, plenty of attention is asked during the concert. Frank: ‘You constantly have your feelers out to 60 others in the orchestra. That is very difficult but when you can do it together it is great". At the Market Square Madieke and Frank are very happy being a part of the Johann Strauss Orchestra. The mutual bond is praised and their wedding is a good example. During the second corona lockdown, Madieke and Frank were married in the carillon room of the Maastricht city hall. Downstairs, a few guests were able to follow the ceremony on a video screen. The newly married couple thought that with this the entourage was complete. Until a glance from the carillon room revealed that the members of the orchestra were standing on the Market Square with a glass of bubbles and balloons. Of course with an appropriate corona distance from each other. Very privileged When it comes to André Rieu's success ('30 million concertgoers in 33 years, a quarter of a billion views on YouTube') Frank points to the unique Rieu cocktail. "André does it in his very own unique way. He offers a bit of nostalgia with the music, he takes the audience back in time. You can also see that the repertoire shifts with the age of the audience." It is a very professional, unequalled cocktail of accessible classical, and pop with a smooth Maastricht touch. Madieke and Frank take great pleasure in their shared love for music: "I wish it for everyone, music. But especially if you make music yourself. We've both worked hard for it, but we realize that we are very privileged." More than members of that famous orchestra Madieke gives singing lessons and during the corona era founded the group "VerrasSing" with Rieu colleagues Christina Petrou and Joline Soomers. From the parking lots, they provided window concerts for residents in isolation at dozens of homes, sometimes also with accompaniment by Frank on the piano. ‘That gave me so much satisfaction, that we continued singing together." Frank is the city carillonneur with a modern twist of Maastricht, Heerlen and Weert. In July 2024, he accompanied James Blunt on the carillon of Weert in honor of Bospop Festival during the performance of the song "Bonfire heart." He is also project leader of "Toekomstmuziek, violen op school" (Future Music, violins at school) based on an idea by André Rieu and paid for by him and the Elisabeth Strouven-Fund. Seventy pupils from primary schools, including “De Letterdoes” (primary school), learn to play the violin. Frank: ‘Difficult? Why should I underestimate those children? When you see how much talent lives in this district. That's really awesome." With 40 minutes of lessons per week the children learn to play an instrument and work together during school hours: "Because you really have to do this together, otherwise it won't work. And I see how the children go along with it, they like it." Madieke: "Very seldom during a concert do you have time for such a moment when you realise: how incredibly beautiful this is. All those happy people in the audience."' Frank: "When you see how much talent lives in this neighbourhood. That's really awesome." Madieke and Frank's taste in music Mezzo-soprano Madieke: "Music with beautiful melodies, a nice rhythm. I really love opera and musicals. I notice that as a singer I often listen professionally." Musically multi-talented Frank: "I was very much raised with classical music. But I also enjoy heavy metal, I played "Ace of space" by Motörhead on the carillon. Or like the other day with James Blunt "Bonfire heart." Who would you like to perform with? Madieke: "With mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli." Frank: "With Sting”. (André Rieu: with “Bruce Springsteen)"

September 2024: Touring the South American continent. Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception Frank and Madieke visit the Statue of the Virgin Mary on San Christóbal Hill in Santiago de Chile.