Royal Netherlands Army Band "Johan Willem Friso"

The Royal Netherlands Military Band 'Johan Willem Friso' was founded on 1 January 2005 following a reorganisation in which the then existing four military bands of the Royal Netherlands Army were dissolved. The duties of the formation range from musical accompaniment at official receptions of heads of state and ambassadors by His Majesty the King, to musical accompaniment of military ceremonies and representative public concerts. The military band consists of 54 people and is stationed at the Johan Willem Friso Barracks in Assen. Johan Willem Friso The military band is named after Johan Willem Friso (1687-1711), Prince of Orange and Prince of Nassau-Diez. He was the son of Prince Henry Casimir ll of Nassau-Diez and Princess Henriette Amalie of Anhalt-Dessau. In 1696, after the death of his father, he became governor of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe under maternal guardianship. In 1702, as heir to the king and governor Willem III, he also became Prince of Orange. Willem llI died childless and was a cousin of Johan Willem Friso. At the age of 20, Johan Willem Friso was appointed governor and at the same time commander-in-chief. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Oudenaarde (1708), the Siege of Lille and the Battle of Malplaquet (1709) and married Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel. In 1711 he was summoned to The Hague after a dispute arose between him and the King of Prussia concerning the will of Willem Ill. Unfortunately, Johan Willem Friso drowned during the voyage to The Hague after his ship capsized while crossing the Hollands Diep during a storm. The Royal Netherlands Military Band "Johan Willem Friso" continues the tradition of the former Royal Netherlands Military Band from The Hague (founded in 1829) and the Military Band "Johan Willem Friso" from Assen (founded in 1819). Her Majesty Queen Beatrix was gracious enough to give the new military band 'Johan Willem Friso' the addition, 'royal', and so the official name of the band since 1 January 2005 has been Royal Netherlands Military Band 'Johan Willem Friso'. In The Hague, the seat of parliament and government of the Netherlands and the residence of the Royal Family, and in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Military Band of the ceremonial uniform of the 'Grenadiers en Jagers' Guard Regiment performs at ceremonies such as Prinsjesdag, when the parliamentary session year is officially opened, and on state visits. The bear skins and the jingles, which were awarded to the Royal Netherlands Military Band in 1901 by the then Queen Emma, are characteristic of the uniform. The military band belongs to the infantry regiment 'Johan Willem Friso', the oldest infantry regiment of the regiment , 'Johan Willem Friso' Army. For this reason, the (ceremonial) uniform of the 'Johan Willem Friso' regiment is worn at all other performances. The Royal Netherlands Military Band 'Johan Willem Friso' is part of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is largely used as a 'house band' within the armed forces. It also performs representational duties on behalf of the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces, regularly organises concerts and participates in tattoos at home and abroad. Rehearsals or performances take place daily. The programme includes performances at ceremonies such as command hand-overs, vows or beret hand-overs. The band plays at the opening of the parliamentary session year, national commemorative days, on Veterans Day or as a guard of honour on state visits, as well as performing at tattoos, concerts at home and abroad and CD recordings. The Royal Netherlands Military Band 'Johan Willem Friso' generally contributes to the development of wind orchestra music by recording new compositions and including them in its programme, organising music recordings or taking part in conducting courses, master classes or examinations. On behalf of the Royal Netherlands Army, concerts are given for family members, but the lanagement also looks for new ways to present the Royal Netherlands Military Band 'Johan Willem Friso'. Important criteria are, of course, the enjoyment of the musicians and the representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces and - above all - the Royal Netherlands Army.


Major Tijmen Botma (1962) began his musical career at the age of seven as a trumpet player in the local symphonic wind orchestra. From 1979 he studied trumpet and orchestral conducting at the conservatories in Zwolle, Leeuwarden and Amsterdam. In 2013 Tijmen became chief conductor of the Royal Military Orchestra 'Johan Willem Friso'; before that he was chief conductor of the Royal Fanfare Orchestra in Vught for six years. Tijmen Botma is associate professor of wind band conducting at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen. He is also conductor of the Dutch fanfare orchestra 'Psalm 150' in Dinxperlo. With the various orchestras under his direction, Tijmen Botma has received numerous national awards and made many recordings for CD and radio. As a guest conductor, Tijmen Botma often works with professional and amateur orchestras. He also regularly serves as a member of (international) juries at competitions.


Dutch bass-baritone Nico Wouterse studied at the conservatories of Maastricht and Amsterdam. After studying classical saxophone with Adri van Velzen, Wouterse studied singing and opera at the Maastricht Conservatory with Mya Besselink. Master classes followed with Jean-Pierre Blivet, Margreet Honig, Leo van Oostrom and Semjon Skigin, among others. Wouterse made his opera debut at the Trier Theatre as Leporello in the opera Don Giovanni and was a permanent ensemble member there for some time. Here he met his current coach and mentor Daniel-Lewis Williams. Further engagements followed, first as a permanent ensemble member with Johannes Felsensein at the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau and at the same time as a guest opera singer. Among other roles, Wouterse interpreted Escamillo at the festivals in Schwerin and at "Oper Schenkenberg" in Switzerland. Wouterse has also appeared at numerous German theatres, such as the Cologne Opera, the State Theatres in Oldenburg, Cottbus, Mainz and Saarbrücken, the National Theatre in Weimar and the opera houses in Riga, 's Hertogenbosch, Warsaw and Liège, among others. In 2016, Wouterse was permanently engaged at the Theater Koblenz, where he can be seen as Leporello, Figaro, Scarpia, Förster in das Schlaue Füchslein and Holländer, for example. His roles include Escamillo, Leporello, Figaro, Warlaam, Scarpia, Don Pizarro, Kaspar, Wotan/Wanderer, Ramfis, Banquo, Padre Guardiano, Alberich, Klingsor, Holländer and Wotan. In addition to his work as an open singer, Wouterse is active as a concert singer and has interpreted the bass parts in masses and oratorios by Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Elgar and Verdi.