By Ken Dooley
J. William Middendorf has worn many hats, including Secretary of the Navy, United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, United States Ambassador to the Organization of the American States, United States Ambassador to the European Union, head of a CIA transition team, and advisor to Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Composing music was a significant change from the grind of diplomacy and military activities for Amb. Middendorf. Planning for our nation’s defense never diminished his love for music.
In 1971, he met a musical genius, Somtow Sucharitkul, son of the Thai ambassador to the Netherlands. Somtow is best known as an award-winning novelist and a composer of operas. He volunteered as a teacher when he discovered that Amb. Middendorf had always been interested in composing but had no idea how to go about it. Private instruction from Sucharitkul helped the ambassador master the essentials of harmony and orchestration. They first collaborated on several hymns and piano concertos, and later the “Holland Symphony,” commemorating Queen Juliana’s 25th anniversary on the throne, broadcast on Dutch national television.
In 1976, Ambassador Middendorf’s Violin Concerto in D minor premiered, and it caught the attention of conductor Richard Hayman and violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who said, “I listened to the Violin Concerto, and its spontaneous warmth and melodiousness are among its most pleasing qualities. Surely, you must be the first Secretary of the Navy to have composed a violin concerto! How fortunate we are that so sensitive and responsible a position in government is vested in a person of such great musical sensibility as yourself.”
The Ambassador composed a number of marches, including “Old Ironsides,” played by the Boston Pops under conductor Arthur Fiedler. Fielder gave the ambassador the honor of conducting several of his marches for the Boston Pops Orchestra. He also advised the Ambassador: “When the band stops playing, stop waving.”
Ambassador Middendorf wrote an opera, The Lion and the Rose, with the assistance of Somtow Sucharitkul. The opera is based on the adventurous life of King Richard the Lionheart, who twice tried unsuccessfully to regain the holy city of Jerusalem from Saladin at the end of the 12th century. Saladin was the Muslim ruler of Egypt and Syria who gained support by proclaiming himself the leader of Jihad, a holy war dedicated to defending Islam. The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra recorded the opera, which was conducted by Somtow Sucharitkil.
Middendorf conducts “The Battle of Midway March” in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the battle.
He wrote and conducted “The Battle of Midway” in 1992, the 50th anniversary of a significant naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place from June 4-7, 1942, six months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Navy, under Admirals Chester W. Nimitz, Frank J. Fletcher, and Raymond A. Spruance, defeated an attacking fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy at Midway Atoll, inflicting devastating damage on the Japanese fleet. Naval historian Craig Symonds called it “one of world history’s most consequential naval engagements.” The Ambassador and Admiral James Holloway, CNO, went to Midway Island for the anniversary, where the ambassador conducted the U.S. Navy Band with his historic march.
He composed a Naval Order March in 1999 and dedicated it to Admiral of the Navy George Dewey. This march was played on Sep. 22, 2024, at Amb. Middendorf’s 100-year birthday celebration as he received the Dewey Award.
In 2025, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Torro announced that an Arleigh Burke destroyer, The J. William Middendorf, will be launched in 2026. Ambassador Middendorf composed a march to honor his new ship, and he vowed to be there with his daughters Amy and Frances when the ship is launched.
Secretary Del Toro was the featured speaker at the ceremony in honor of Middendorf, who served as the former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands and the 62nd Secretary of the Navy and is the namesake. The Naval War College hosted the ceremony in Newport, RI., on December 11, 2023.
“To Rhode Island With Love,” a musical evening featuring the music of J. William Middendorf, will be held at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2025, at the Park Theatre in Cranston, Rhode Island. “The Ocean State Symphony,” dedicated to members of The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, will be played for the first time. “The Hall of Fame includes the founders, makers, and leaders of our wonderful state,” Middendorf said. “I am honored to dedicate this symphony to them.”
All net proceeds from the concert will go to Historic Music of Newport, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving Newport’s rich musical heritage (historicmusicofnewport.org). Your tax-deductible donation will help continue the research and educational outreach to the community.
Ken Dooley is the co-author of On My Watch: Tyrants and Patriots and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Heritage Harbor Foundation.