Johan de Meij
Dutch composer and conductor Johan de Meij (Voorburg, 1953) received his musical training at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, where he studied trombone and conducting. His award-winning oeuvre of original compositions, symphonic transcriptions and film score arrangements has garnered him international acclaim and have become permanent fixtures in the repertoire of renowned ensembles throughout the world. His Symphony No. 1 The Lord of the Rings was awarded the prestigious Sudler Composition Prize and has been recorded by myriad ensembles including The London Symphony Orchestra, The North Netherlands Orchestra, The Nagoya Philharmonic and The Amsterdam Wind Orchestra. His Symphony No. 2 The Big Apple, Symphony No. 3 Planet Earth, Symphony No. 4 Sinfonie der Lieder as well as his solo concertos, T-Bone Concerto (trombone), UFO Concerto (euphonium) and Casanova (cello) have been enthusiastically received at many of the world’s finest venues.
Before devoting his time exclusively to composing and conducting, Johan de Meij enjoyed a successful professional career as a trombone and euphonium player, performing with major orchestras and ensembles in The Netherlands. He is in high demand as a guest conductor and lecturer, frequently invited to speak about and perform his own works. In 2010, he was appointed regular guest conductor of the Simón Bolívar Youth Wind Orchestra in Caracas, Venezuela – part of the celebrated Venezuelan educational system El Sistema. He currently maintains posts with both the New York Wind Symphony and the Kyushu Wind Orchestra in Fukuoka, Japan as their principal guest conductor. Johan is founder and CEO of his own publishing company Amstel Music, established in 1989.
When not traveling, Johan divides his time between his Hudson Valley home and Manhattan- and Amsterdam apartments with his wife and muse Dyan, cats Lenny, Gustavo, Tosca & Lulu and doggy Lucy.
AWARDS & PRIZES
1989 1st Prize at The Sudler International Composition Competition Award for Symphony no. 1 The Lord of the Rings
1995 Honorable Mention International Composition Competition of Corciano - Italy for Symphony No. 2 The Big Apple
1999 1st Prize at The International Composition Competition of Corciano - Italy for Casanova (for cello & wind orchestra)
2000 1st Prize at The Oman International Composition Prize for The Red Tower
2001 The Midwest Clinic International Award - Chicago, Illinois - USA
2006 2nd Prize at The International Composition Competition of Corciano - Italy for Symphony No. 3 Planet Earth
2007 Dutch Wind Music Award/Prijs Nederlandse Blaasmuziek
2009 Friends of the WMC Award - Kerkrade, The Netherlands
2016 2nd Prize at The International Composition Competition of Corciano - Italy for Echoes of San Marco
2016 1st Prize at The 6th International Composition Contest City of Muro - Spain for Fifty Shades of E
2017 Buma Classical Award - The Netherlands
2017 Nominated for the Vermeulen Prize 2017 for FELLINI (Omaggio a Federico Fellini)
2017 Finalist for the WASBE Composition Contest with African Harmony (Songs from Mama Africa)
2018 Midwest Clinic Legend Award for Lifetime Contributions to Music Education - Chicago, Illinois - USA
2019 Nominated for the Vermeulen Prize 2019 for Symphony No. 5 Return to Middle Earth
2021 Nominated for the Vermeulen Prize 2021 for UN MOMENTO DADO (Homenaje en Memoria de Johan Cruijff)
2021 Nominated for the Vermeulen Prize 2021 for DA VINCI (A Study on Ivory Keys)
2021 Winner of Europe's Favorite Set Test Piece with EXTREME MAKEOVER (Metamorphoses on a Theme by Tchaikovsky) Organized by the EBBA, the European Brass Band Association.
2022 2nd Prize and an Honorable Mention at the 1st International Composition Contest of Filharmonica Imolese, Imola - Italy, for The Year 2020
2022 Best Feature Film at the Environmental Film & Screenplay Festival 2022 for Cine-Symphony PLANET EARTH (Symphony No. 3)
2022 Buma Wind Music Award - The Netherlands
2022 Special Mention at the 1st Wind Composition Contest Saxony, organized by the Dresdner Bläserphilharmonie for MONDRIAAN - An Essay in Primary Colors (for baritone saxophone & wind orchestra)