The composer, conductor, organist and teacher Johan (also Jo and Johannes) Wagenaar was at the centre of musical life in Utrecht. He often appeared in concerts, at times as the conductor of his Toonkunst Choir (with which he presented the Dutch premieres of many foreign works), and as an organist, widely praised for Bach interpretations and talent as an improviser. He also performed in Arnhem, The Hague and Leiden as conductor of the Toonkunst choirs in these cities. Hector Berlioz and Gustav Mahler were often programmed, and their music influenced Wagenaar’s own composition. Other influences on his work were Johannes Brahms and Richard Strauss. Wagenaar was the teacher of many composers, among whom Peter van Anrooy, Willem Pijper, Léon Orthel and Alexander Voormolen.