Henk van der Meulen (born 1955) is a Dutch composer whose career brings together music, theatre, dance, broadcasting and arts education. Following an extensive period in cultural leadership, including his directorship of the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, he has returned to composition as his principal artistic focus.
Van der Meulen began composing at an early age. He studied at the Amsterdam Conservatoire and subsequently with John Cage. His early works, published by Donemus, include Elements for Winds and Double Bass for the ASKO Ensemble, Regen for chamber ensemble, Cantigas for solo female voice, Comparing Green and Bending the Bone, written for Orkest de Volharding.
Collaboration across artistic disciplines has been central to his work. As musical director of Stichting Dansproductie, he composed numerous dance scores and commissioned fellow composers including Louis Andriessen, Harry de Wit and Loek Dikker. His music theatre works include Icarus, Quartetto and the chamber opera Merg; both Icarus and Merg were created in collaboration with poet and playwright Judith Herzberg. He also worked with theatre director Annemarie Prins, wrote songs for Jenny Arean and Ischa Meijer, and composed for film and television.
In 1995, Van der Meulen became editor-in-chief of the Music and Dance Department at Dutch public broadcaster NPS, a position he held for thirteen years. He subsequently led the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague from 2008 until his retirement in February 2023, connecting artistic education with ambitious professional projects and international partnerships. His tenure included the development of aus LICHT, the major Stockhausen production presented in 2019. Alongside these responsibilities, he held international leadership and advisory positions with organisations including the EBU, IMZ, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the Association Européenne des Conservatoires.
After a compositional hiatus of twenty-seven years, Van der Meulen has renewed his creative practice. Recent works include Hedgehog, written for young violinists in the Dutch National Violin Competition, and EAT, commissioned by pianist and multimedia artist Tomoko Mukaiyama. Written for upright prepared piano, EAT takes the form of a breakfast ritual exploring the boundaries between tasting, seeing and hearing.
His renewed collaboration with Donemus brings previously unpublished compositions into the catalogue, including the string quartet Edges, the choral works from What the Thunder said and The Tower, Marienbad for mezzo-soprano, baritone and cello, and Transformation for two pianos. While remaining active as an adviser, Van der Meulen is once again placing composition at the heart of his work: creating music in response to the world and the times in which he lives.