Jörgen van Rijen performs in Resonance.

Jörgen van Rijen is much in demand as a soloist with a special commitment to promoting his instrument, developing new repertoire for the trombone, and bringing the existing repertoire to a broader audience. He is an expert on both the modern and baroque trombone. He has performed as a soloist in most European countries, as well as the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Singapore, and Australia, with orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (of whom he is the Principal trombonist), Czech Philharmonic, Taiwan Philharmonic, Nagoya Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, Antwerp Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Jörgen has also worked with renowned conductors such as Iván Fischer, Jonathan Nott, Gustavo Gimeno, Martyn Brabbins, Pierre Bleuse, Juraj Valčuha, Marc Albrecht and Sir George Benjamin.

Jörgen has become a sphere in the new music field and many of the world’s leading composers have written concertos specifically for him. His skill and artistry have played an important role in expanding the repertoire with each piece showcasing trombone’s expressive range and technical potential. Notable concertos written for him include James MacMillan, Bryce Dessner, Kalevi Aho, Tan Dun’s Three Muses in Video Game, Jimmy López Bellido’s Shift, Samy Moussa’s Yericho. These pieces have been commissioned by prestigious orchestras and institutions, including Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Borletti-Buitoni Trust, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, and Orchestre National de Lyon.

Jörgen was awarded the Netherlands Music Prize in 2004, the highest distinction in the field of music by the Dutch Ministry of Culture. In 2006, he received the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, which is presented yearly to a selection of the m

ost promising and talented young international soloists and ensembles. He has won other major prizes, including first prizes at the international trombone competitions of Toulon and Guebwiller.Jörgen van Rijen’s discography includes baroque works, contemporary pieces written for him, solo pieces, chamber music, and his own arrangements. With several critically acclaimed CDs released over the years, his recordings highlight the versatility of the trombone. His recording of Fratres (BIS Recordings), with members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, has been praised for its musical depth and the harmonious blend of van Rijen's trombone with the ensemble. Gramophone also commended Mirrored in Time, recorded with the Alma Quartet (BIS Recordings, 2023), as "a finely played album," emphasising its "beautiful fusion of contemporary music” and “a vision of how chamber music with trombone from the 19th and early 20th centuries could have sounded.”

Jörgen teaches at the Amsterdam Conservatory and has been appointed International Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London. He plays exclusively on instruments built by Antoine Courtois.