"Ode to Andre Rieu". Lyrics and Performance by Desiree Regina. A fun Music Video Clip - based on the Habanera from the Opera Carmen by Bizet. The clip took over 3 months to film and has a cast of 80+ and 30 locations.
All shot in a hidden paradise in Australia.

Directed and Produced by Justin Case.
Edited by Sonia Bible.
More info: desireeregina.com


DESIREE'S DESIRE

Some fans will do anything to meet the classical music heart-throb Andre Rieu, the violinist with the flowing locks and hordes of female admirers. Case in point, Desiree Regina. The Bundeena resident and opera singer, who goes by the moniker of the Mesmerising Diva, has created a music video clip for YouTube, entitled Ode To Andre, featuring 21 locations, 80 residents from the Royal National Park villages of Maianbar and Bundeena, 24 kayaks, 18 preschoolers, the fire brigade and the Bundeena Playgroup.

The video features Regina and others singing in different locations, including one in which Regina paddles down a river with a life-size cardboard cut-out of Rieu sitting behind her in the kayak. The ode is part of Regina's self-described "dream quest" to perform with the Dutch musician, who arrives in Sydney this week for concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

In a press release issued last week, Regina said the dream of singing with her idol evolved when she was suffering post-natal depression after the birth of her second child and a friend gave her a Rieu DVD.

"His music helped lift me out of the despairing spiral," she said, adding that she couldn't have made the video without community support. "There are not many places you could get that kind of support for a project. Not only is this a tribute to Andre, it is a tribute to the power of community in our lives … This is a long-term project. I may not get to perform with him now, but I hope he will hear about this video and we can perform together at some stage."