2026 Composer in Residence John de Meij

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. His award-winning oeuvre has garnered him international acclaim and have become permanent fixtures in the repertoire of renowned orchestras throughout the world, such as The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic and The Tokyo Philharmonic. His Symphony No. 1 The Lord of the Rings was awarded the Sudler Composition Prize in Chicago and has been recorded by myriad ensembles including The London Symphony Orchestra and The North Netherlands Orchestra. He has written five symphonies including Symphony No. 2 The Big Apple and Symphony No. 3 Planet Earth, and ten solo concertos, including T-Bone Concerto (trombone)and Casanova (cello). De Meij has conducted in prestigious venues such as the Philharmonie-Berlin, Carnegie Hall-New York, Suntory Hall-Tokyo and the Esplanade-Singapore. He received thirty-one awards and nominations, including 1st Prize at the International Composition Competition of Corciano – Italy for Casanova, the Dutch Wind Music Award, the Buma Classical Award and the Buma Wind Music Award.

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 the major orchestras and ensembles in The Netherlands. He currently maintains posts as principal guest conductor with The Simón Bolívar Youth Wind Orchestra, The New York Wind Symphony and The Kyushu Wind Orchestra in Fukuoka, Japan. 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 & Amsterdam apartment with his wife and muse Dyan and their cats Lenny & Lulu.