Johannes Abraham "Johan" de Meij (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjoːɦɑn də ˈmɛi]; born November 23, 1953[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]
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 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.[3][4] It has been recorded by several orchestras.[5]
