Besides his work as the principal trombonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jörgen van Rijen has become a frequently requested soloist with a special commitment to promote his instrument, develop new repertoire for the trombone and bring the existing repertoire to a broader audience. He has performed as a soloist in most European countries, as well as the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Singapore and Australia and has appeared as a soloist with various orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2004 Jörgen was awarded the Netherlands Music Prize, the highest distinction in the field of music from the Dutch Ministry of Culture. In 2006 he received the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, which is yearly presented to a selection of the most promising and talented young international soloists and ensembles. He won several other prizes, including first prizes at the international trombone competitions of Toulon and Guebwiller.

In a review for his first CD, music magazine 'Luister' wrote: '...Van Rijen is a real ambassador of his instrument, which is still not often used as a virtuosic brass instrument among composers. But there are not that many trombonists that reach the brilliant level of Van Rijen. In sound, dynamic, color, musical understanding and expressiveness Van Rijen is unequalled...'.

Jörgen studied with George Wiegel at the Rotterdam Conservatory, where he finished his solo degree with the highest possible mark, 10 summa cum laude. He continued his studies with Michel Becquet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon, where he also studied baroque trombone with Daniel Lasalle. In addition he attended lessons and master classes with authorities including Christian Lindberg, Joseph Alessi, bassoonist Brian Pollard and the cellist Anner Bijlsma.

Many new pieces have been written for Jörgen, including a trombone concerto by Theo Verbey, commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Claudio Abbado asked him to perform the trombone solo of Mahler's 3rd symphony with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.

Jörgen teaches at the Rotterdam Conservatory and is an active chamber musician. He was one of the founders of the New Trombone Collective and the RCO Brass and is artistic leader of both of these ensembles. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.