Johan van der Linden graduated in 1983 for Performing Musician Saxophone with Ed Boogaard at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. Attended master classes with Iwan Roth, Daniel Defayet, Frederik Hemke, Francois Daneels, among others. In 1982 he founded the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet together with colleagues. This saxophone quartet has become one of the leading chamber music ensembles in the world. The Aurelia has 9 CDs to its name and many foreign tours to Ireland, Germany, Canada, Indonesia, America and Japan, among others. In 2013, Johan left the quartet after 31 fruitful years.
From 1982 to 1990, Johan van der Linden was appointed saxophonist of the Royal Military Band in The Hague.
For very many years Johan was a principal subject teacher of Saxophone at several Conservatories. And until now he is a valued masterclass-teacher, all over the world.
Van der Linden works as a freelance saxophonist with: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra, Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
Johan is a core member of the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble www.nbe.nl.
In addition to the busy performance and teaching practice and masterclasses, Van der Linden is also a composer and many of his pieces are published with Molenaar Edition, Donemus, Tierolff Muziekcentrale and G.M.F.
With the pianist Henry Kelder he has placed a duo that focuses on new music specially written for the duo at Matching Arts, http://www.matchingarts.com/.
Together with his wife Elske te Lindert, he forms the duo ‘Flor de Tilo’.
Johan was co-founder of Splendor Amsterdam. http://splendoramsterdam.com/. The place where artists and the public inspire each other.
He is retired professor of saxophone at 3 conservatories in the Netherlands.
Johan is an endorser of Lemonde, Sequoia saxophones, Silverstein ligatures, LeFreque and D’addario reeds.