Jörgen Van Rijen

Jörgen van Rijen ranks among Europe’s leading trombonists through his role as principal trombonist, shared with Bart Claessens, in Amsterdam’s celebrated Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Frequently described as an ambassador for the instrument, he has devoted himself to broadening its repertory by championing newly composed works. Born in Dordrecht, Netherlands, on February 20, 1975, he began trombone studies at age eight. At sixteen he enrolled at the Rotterdam Conservatory under George Wiegel, later traveling to France’s Lyon Conservatory for instruction from Michel Becquet and Baroque specialist Daniel Lassalle. Following his training he joined the Rotterdam Philharmonic, then entered the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1997. During the 1990s he earned multiple awards, among them victory in Britain’s 1997 Holiday Inn/Classic FM competition and first prize at the 1999 International Trombone Competition in Guebwiller, France. His profile rose further with a 2001 Concertgebouw solo performance of Henri Tomasi’s Trombone Concerto, an event preserved on a 2005 Channel Classics recording. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra subsequently commissioned Dutch composer Theo Verbey to create the concerto LIED for him; van Rijen gave the premiere with the orchestra and the work later appeared on disc. A Borletti Buitoni Trust award enabled him to solicit additional trombone pieces from composers that include Kalevi Aho. He has performed as guest soloist with ensembles throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, among them a prolonged engagement with the New York Philharmonic. In 2003 he co-founded the New Trombone Collective, an ensemble that has issued three albums and toured extensively. Beyond those projects he has recorded several further discs for Channel Classics and, beginning in 2018, for Sweden’s BIS label, which released his 2019 account of the Aho Trombone Concerto composed expressly for him. Alongside his performing activities, van Rijen serves as professor of trombone at the Amsterdam Conservatory.