Jörgen van Rijen
Principal trombonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jörgen van Rijen is in high demand as a soloist. He is committed to promoting his instrument, developing new repertoire for the trombone and bringing the existing repertoire to a broader audience. He is a specialist on both the modern and baroque trombone. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras like the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Taiwan National Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Nagoya Philharmonic.
In 2004 Jörgen was awarded the Netherlands Music Prize, 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 most promising and talented young international soloists and ensembles. He has won other major prizes, including first prize at both the international trombone competition of Toulon and Guebwiller.
In a review of his first CD, music magazine ‘Luister’ wrote: ‘Van Rijen is a real ambassador of his instrument, which is still not often used as a virtuoso brass instrument among composers. But there are not that many trombonists who reach the brilliant level of Van Rijen. In sound, dynamic, colour, musical understanding and expressiveness, Van Rijen is unequalled…’.
Many new pieces have been written for Jörgen, including a trombone concerto by Theo Verbey, and works by Jacob TV and Florian Magnus Maier. In the spring of 2012 Jörgen premiered a trombone concerto by Kalevi Aho that was written for him as a commission from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust, with concerts with the The Hague Philharmonic, the Oulu Sinfonia in Finland and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The Times wrote: “… van Rijen and Aho turned the trombone into a fount of melodic grace and gambolling, cradled over four generous movements by an equally refined orchestra…”
In April 2017 he performed the world premiere of a trombone concerto by James MacMillan composed for him with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and conducted by Ivan Fischer. It was followed by concerts with orchestras in the U.S., Finland, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany.
Jörgen teaches at the Amsterdam Conservatory and has been appointed International Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London. He is also an active chamber musician in ensembles such as the New Trombone Collective , RCO Brass and Brass United.
He plays exclusively on instruments built by Antoine Courtois and has released 5 CDs on the label Channel Classics.
