Johan de Meij
A Dutch composer who brought cinematic grandeur and literary depth to the concert band, changing its repertoire forever.
Born 1953 (age 73)·Dutch conductor, trombonist and composer·Birthday: November 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Johan de Meij began his musical life as a trombonist in Dutch brass bands, an experience that gave him an intimate understanding of wind and brass sonorities. His ambition, however, stretched far beyond traditional band literature. In the 1980s, inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels, he embarked on a daring project: a large-scale, programmatic symphony for wind ensemble. The result, his Symphony No. 1 'The Lord of the Rings,' premiered in 1988 and became a global phenomenon, proving that wind bands could handle complex, narrative-driven works with the gravity of an orchestra. This success established de Meij as a leading voice in the genre, leading to a prolific career as a composer and a globe-trotting conductor championing his own expansive, colorful music.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Johan was born in 1953, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Johan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Johan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 70
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- His Symphony No. 1 'The Lord of the Rings' is one of the most performed and recorded works for wind ensemble worldwide.
- He won the prestigious Sudler Composition Prize in 1989 for the 'Lord of the Rings' symphony.
- Served as the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Symphonic Wind Orchestra 'Symphonic Winds' in The Hague from 1990 to 1995.
- His catalog includes multiple symphonies, concertos, and the popular 'Aquarium' suite for saxophone quartet and band.
Did You Know?
He composed the first movement of his 'Lord of the Rings' symphony, 'Gandalf,' while still a trombone student.
De Meij is also a skilled arranger and has created band versions of works by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Shostakovich.
He founded his own publishing company, Amstel Music, to publish his compositions.
The 'Lord of the Rings' symphony was later adapted by the composer into a version for symphony orchestra.
“The trombone is my voice, but the orchestra is my world.”
