Mirusia Louwerse (born 29 March 1985) is an Australian[1]soprano. She performs as Mirusia and has been called "The Unconventional Pop Star"[2] and "The Angel of Australia".[3]
Career
Louwerse was born in Brisbane, Australia to Dutch parents and attended Ormiston College.[4] She graduated in December 2006 from the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane obtaining a Bachelor of Music in Performance in Classical Voice.[5] In 2006, Louwerse became the youngest ever winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Opera Award[6] and went on to record a debut EP entitled She Walks in Beauty.
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.[1] She has been touring with Rieu since 2007 as his star soprano.[7][8] She is of Dutch descent and can speak Dutch fluently. In April 2008, Rieu and Louwerse released the album Waltzing Matilda. The album peaked at number 1 on the ARIA Charts, was certified platinum and became the 20th best selling album in Australia in 2008.[9]
Her debut solo album Always & Forever was released in Australia on 8 October 2010 and debuted at number 17.[10] It was released in the Netherlands in December 2010. Her DVD Always & Forever was released in March 2011 and stayed at the No. 1 position on the ARIA DVD charts for four weeks.[11] In 2012 Louwerse won the ARIA No. 1 Chart Award for Always & Forever and was the only classical artist to receive such an award.[12]
In 2013, Louwerse performed with Rieu at the coronation concert of the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander.[13] In this same year, to celebrate Benjamin Britten's 100th birthday, she performed under the baton of John Curro with the Queensland Youth Symphony Britten's War Requiem in the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.[14] 2013 also saw Louwerse embark on her first full scale national tour of the Netherlands on her "My Second Home Tour", which was also filmed for DVD and released as Beautiful That Way on DVD and CD.[15] In 2014, Louwerse toured with her solo tour "My Favorite Things" to sold-out audiences across the Netherlands and Australia.[16]
She released This Time Tomorrow in May 2016. The CD is a studio recording and the DVD was filmed live in the Netherlands. Both the CD and DVD charted in the Top 10 on the Dutch and Australian charts, with the CD's highest position at No. 1 on the ARIA Classical Crossover charts and the DVD at No. 4 on the ARIA Music DVD chart.[17][18]
Mirusia toured internationally in 2016 and the beginning of 2017 with her concert tour "This Time Tomorrow" with 40 concerts.[19] In 2017, Mirusia toured internationally with her concert tour "From the Heart" which began in the Netherlands in March 2017 and saw her perform over 40 concerts worldwide. In 2018 Mirusia performed a special concert tour in the Netherlands entitled "An Enchanted Evening" to full houses and exceptional reviews.[20]
Mirusia debuted in professional musical theatre in April 2019 as the lead role in the new musical Mimma – A musical of War and Friendship.[21]
At the start of 2019, Mirusia released the album A Salute to The Seekers. The album debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Charts and was in the Top 20 on the Jazz and Blues charts for three consecutive months.[22] Together with the original Seekers (Athol Guy, Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley) Mirusia performed sold-out shows at Brisbane's QPAC Concert Hall, Sydney Recital Hall and Melbourne Recital Centre late 2019.[23] At these concerts the Original Seekers officially welcomed Mirusia to "The Seekers Family" and Mirusia gave tribute to The Seekers and her great inspiration, Judith Durham.
2019 saw Mirusia embark on a 40 date concert tour around Australia with her new concert program "A Salute to The Seekers and the Classics".[24][25] This tour ran until 12 May 2022 due to Covid19 postponements and lockdowns in Australia. In 2021 Mirusia also released a new Music DVD "Live in Concert" and live album of the same name. [26] Both DVD and Album went to the #1 positions on the ARIA Charts with the DVD placing at #15 on the Annual Charts[27] and the Album at #22 on the Annual Charts.[28] The Album "Live in Concert" has been nominated as "Best Classical Album" at the 2022 AIR Awards. [29]
Mirusia's album, Songbird, which was released in February 2022, debuted at the #1 position on the ARIA Classical Crossover Charts, #9 on the ARIA Australian Artist Charts & #1 on the AIR Independent Album Charts.[30] Mirusia's production company 'Mirusia Productions' won the Redlands Business Excellence Award in Creative Industries in October 2022[31] and in November 2022 Mirusia won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Holiday Song with "Snowflake".[32]
2024, saw Mirusia release a Core Classical album called "Classique".[33] This album debuted at the #1 position on the Classical and Classical-Crossover Charts in Australia.[34]
Charity
Louwerse is an ambassador for the Australian Children's Music Foundation[35] and believes strongly that if children are exposed to music or are involved in music, they will grow up to be better human beings. Since 2010, Louwerse has participated in concerts to raise funds for the ACMF. She raised more than $260,000 in 2013, for the ACMF, Redland Foundation and Mater Children's Hospital, and was recognised with a 'QLD Volunteer of the Year' Award.[36] Louwerse is also the ambassador for the Redland Foundation, showing her support for her community in Redland City where she grew up and still lives today.[37] In 2021, Mirusia became the Prima Ambassador for Silver Memories,[38] a program backed by research and clinical studies to help elderly Australians feel socially-engaged and connected through nostalgic music. In 2024, Mirusia was announced as Redland's Coast Citizen of the Year at the Australia Day Awards for her extensive volunteer work and contributions to music. [39]
Personal life
In July 2015, Louwerse married her long term boyfriend Youri Wystyrk. The wedding was a much celebrated affair with André Rieu writing a special piece of music and recording a video clip of the pair before their wedding.[8] In December 2017, Louwerse gave birth to the couple's first child, Sascha.[40]
Label: Timbre Records (2013MIR01) & Universal Australia
Formats: CD+DVD, digital
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96
Live in Concert
Released: 4 June 2021
Label: Sony Music
Formats: CD+DVD, digital
57
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Extended plays
Title
EP details
She Walks in Beauty
Released: 2006
Awards and nominations
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honouring original music (song and score) in all forms of visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special programs.
