Johannes Abraham "Johan" de Meij (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈjoːɦɑndəˈmɛi]; born November 23, [1] 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.[2]
Biography
Johan de Meij received his musical training at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he studied trombone and conducting.[3] 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 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 , won the Sudler Composition Award in [3][4] It has been recorded by several orchestras.[5]
Works
Patchwork for brass sextet
Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings"
Loch Ness - A Scottish Fantasy
Aquarium opus 5
Symphony No. 2 "The Big Apple" (A New York Symphony)
Polish Christmas Music- Part 1 (based on the Polish Christmas carols Pokłon Jezusowi; Mizerna, cicha; Anioł pasterzom mówił; Gdy śliczna Panna and Jam jest dudka)
Jazz Suite No.2 (of Dmitri Shostakovich) Classical transcription for symphonic/fanfare band
T-Bone Concerto for trombone and concert band
Continental Overture
La Quintessenza
Casanova for cello solo and symphonic wind orchestra
The Venetian Collection
Klezmer Classics for wind orchestra
The Wind in the Willows
Extreme Make-over (Testpiece for the European Brass Band Contest , Groningen-NL)
Ceremonial Fanfare[6]
Symphony No. 3 "Planet Earth"
Windy City Overture - commissioned by the Northshore Concert Band
Canticles for Bass Trombone and Wind Orchestra
Festive Hymn
Dutch Masters Suite
? Evolution
Spring - Overture for Wind Orchestra
At Kitty O'Sheas (Irish Folk Song Suite)
Cloud Factory
"Songs from the Catskills"
? Sinfonietta no. 1 (for brass band)[6]
UFO Concerto for Euphonium
Extreme Beethoven - commissioned by The World Music Contest (WMC)&#;[nl] in Kerkrade
Symphony No. 4 "Sinfonie der Lieder" (to texts by Friedrich Rückert, Heinrich Heine, and Hugo von Hofmannsthal)