
Johannes Abraham "Johan" de Meij (; born November 23, 1953 in
Voorburg) is a Dutch conductor, trombonist, and composer, best known for his ''
Symphony No. 1'' for wind ensemble, nicknamed ''The Lord of the Rings'' symphony.
Biography
Johan de Meij received his musical training at the
Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he studied trombone and conducting.
His Symphony No. 1, ''The Lord of the Rings,'' received the Sudler Composition Prize and has been recorded by ensembles including The
London Symphony Orchestra, The North Netherlands Orchestra, The
Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Amsterdam Wind Orchestra.
Before turning exclusively to composing and conducting, Johan de Meij played trombone and euphonium; he performed with major ensembles in The Netherlands. He is the principal guest conductor of the New York Wind Symphony and the Kyushu Wind Orchestra in Fukuoka, Japan; he is a regular guest conductor of the Simón Bolívar Youth Wind Orchestra in Caracas, Venezuela, part of the Venezuelan educational system
El Sistema. He is founder and CEO of the publishing company Amstel Music, which he established in 1989. When not traveling, de Meij divides his time between
Hudson Valley and
Manhattan with his wife Dyan.
His ''
Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings"'', first performed in 1988, won the
Sudler Composition Award in 1989.
It has been recorded by several orchestras.
Works
* 1979 ''Patchwork for brass sextet''
* 1984-1988 ''
Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings"''
* 1988 ''Loch Ness - A Scottish Fantasy''
* 1989 ''Aquarium'' opus 5
* 1993 ''Symphony No. 2 "The Big Apple" (A New York Symphony)''
* 1995 ''Polish Christmas Music- Part 1'' (based on the Polish Christmas carols ''Poklon Jezusowi; Mizerna, cicha; Aniol pasterzom mówil; Gdy sliczna Panna'' and ''Jam jest dudka'')
*1995 ''Jazz Suite No.2'' (of
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...
) Classical transcription for symphonic/fanfare band
*1996 ''
T-Bone Concerto ''T-bone Concerto'' is a concerto for solo trombone and wind band by Dutch composer Johan de Meij which was completed in January 1996. The work was commissioned by the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) for performance at the 1996 KMEA annu ...
'' for trombone and concert band
*1997 ''Continental Overture''
*1998 ''La Quintessenza''
*2000 ''Casanova'' for cello solo and symphonic wind orchestra
*2002 ''The Venetian Collection''
*''
Klezmer
Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...
Classics for wind orchestra''
*''The Wind in the Willows''
*2005 ''Extreme Make-over'' (Testpiece for the European Brass Band Contest 2005, Groningen-NL)
*2005 ''Ceremonial Fanfare''
*2006 ''Symphony No. 3 "Planet Earth"''
*2006 ''Windy City Overture'' - commissioned by the
Northshore Concert Band
*2007 ''Canticles'' for Bass Trombone and Wind Orchestra
*2007 ''Festive Hymn''
*2008 ''Dutch Masters Suite''
*2009? ''Evolution''
*2010 ''Spring - Overture for Wind Orchestra''
*2010 ''At Kitty O'Sheas (Irish Folk Song Suite)''
*2011 ''Cloud Factory''
*2011 "Songs from the Catskills"
*2011? ''Sinfonietta no. 1'' (''for brass band'')
[
*2012 ''UFO Concerto for Euphonium''
*2012 ''Extreme Beethoven'' - commissioned by in Kerkrade
*2013 ''Symphony No. 4 "Sinfonie der Lieder"'' (to texts by Friedrich Rückert, ]Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...
, and Hugo von Hofmannsthal)
* 2013 ''Basilica sacra''[
* 2013 ''Summer''
* 2014 ''Downtown divertimento''][
* ''Madurodam''][
* ''Pentagram''][
* ''R.O.K Navy Fanfare''
* 2019 ''Symphony No. 5 "Return to Middle Earth"''
* 2022 ''The Painted Bird''
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meij, Johan De
1953 births
Living people
20th-century classical composers
20th-century classical trombonists
20th-century conductors (music)
20th-century Dutch male musicians
21st-century classical composers
21st-century classical trombonists
21st-century conductors (music)
21st-century Dutch male musicians
Brass band composers
Concert band composers
Dutch classical composers
Dutch classical trombonists
Dutch conductors (music)
Dutch male classical composers
Male conductors (music)
Male trombonists
People from Voorburg
Royal Conservatory of The Hague alumni