Michel Tirabosco was born with short arms and no hands, but when he stood onstage with André Rieu, holding his pan flute, he stole the whole show! Michel played the yearning melodies of Star Wars tear-jerker “Across the Stars,” while André led his orchestra at his Christmas concert in Maastricht. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Michel played the romance theme with such beauty. When someone fights through such adversity to share their love for music, then you know they have something profound to say.
It seems that André has an incredible ear for talent, as Michel was the perfect choice for this performance. The Italian virtuoso so skillfully channeled the bittersweet, yearning feeling of the theme to Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala’s doomed romance. Michel can play lightning-speed runs, but he had the restraint and refined taste to deliver exactly what was needed for this moody performance. The Music Man has to say this is one collaboration we love coming back to!
André Rieu uploaded the performance to his YouTube channel on January 3, 2026, where it hit 720,000 views. Viewers could see this was a special moment, and added comments such as “How to make a grown man cry” and “How poetic. Anakin (Star Wars character) lost his hands and became a machine of a man and warlord. This man had no hands and embraced his humanity through the power of music.”
André seems to have the greatest pan flute players in the world on his speed dial. The Dutch violinist’s most viral performance features Gheorghe Zamfir playing pan flute on “The Lonely Shepherd,” while André complements his parts on violin. The man known as the God of the Pan Flute certainly lived up to his reputation here. Gheorghe featured on the original recording of the song, and you may remember the tune from soundtrack inclusions such as in Kill Bill: Volume 1.
As André noted before the performance of “Across the Stars,” both Michel’s parents were opera singers, and all his siblings played music. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that Michel’s father gave him a pan flute for his seventh birthday. The boy spent the whole day playing music on the flute and declared that he would be a pan flute player. This indeed came to pass, as he regularly performs in the ballpark of 100 concerts a year and is a recognized international pan flute virtuoso. Michel is also an educator at the Conservatoire de l’Ouest Vaudois.