6-year-old drummer Mik Falize looks nervous onstage in front of a huge crowd at André Rieu’s Christmas concert. But he has a job to do and he’s gonna nail it. With some gentle encouragement from André, Mik begins the stately drum part of “Little Drummer Boy.” The audience is melting at the adorable factor as Mik performs while shyly smiling and delivering the goods on his snare drum.
The Music Man readers won’t want to miss the moment at 1:58 where Mik takes a sideways glance at André to see how he’s doing, and André looks back so proudly. The performance was rounded out by the appearance of Mik’s dad Glenn, granddad Marcel, and uncles Colin and Dean, with the Falize men leading the choir performance. Mik sure made his starring role in “Little Drummer Boy” one to remember with his natural flair for the stage!
Viewers were loving the Falize family performance with André, and tuned in five million times to watch the video on André’s YouTube channel. Fans added comments such as “This little boy, who so seriously follows the splendid performance of André Rieu and his orchestra, gives a magical and sweet touch!” and “Little Mik was just so cute and very brave for stepping out in front of hundreds of people. First André Rieu concert I’ve seen and it was truly amazing.”
A number of André’s most popular performances feature Christmas classics. Another great carol from André and his Johann Strauss Orchestra was their rendition of “O Holy Night” from the Christmas in London concert. This 16 million view performance featured such a moving performance from the female vocal trio that led the choir.
The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that Mik’s starring role at André’s Christmas concert was not the first time the Falize family members performed with the Dutch classical crossover star. Mik’s grandfather Marcel has performed as a permanent fixture in André’s orchestra as a percussionist for more than 30 years. Mik’s dad Glenn followed in Marcel’s footsteps and has performed with André for more than a decade. Uncles Colin and Dean sometimes join André’s performances as substitutes. Mik is the son of Glenn and Gina Falize, and he was born in 2016. With three generations of the Falize family performing on stage for “Little Drummer Boy,” it’s a testament to how much talent runs in the family, as well as André and the Falize family’s loyalty to each other.