Jörgen van Rijen

Jörgen van Rijen is Principal Trombone (jointly with Bart Claessens) at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is also a key member of young Dutch trombone ensemble, New Trombone Collective and Professor of Trombone at the Rotterdam Conservatorium where he studied as a teenager.

Born in 1975, Jörgen started playing trombone aged 8 and from age 16 he learned at the conservatorium under educational director George Wiegel. In his first year he studied Physics in addition before he was sure of following a career in music. During his studies, Jörgen spent three months with Michel Becquet, solo trombone player and teacher at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon where he also studied baroque trombone with Daniel Lassalle.

After briefly playing principal trombone with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, he joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in the same position in 1997.

He won several prizes and competitions, including the first prize at the International Trombone Competition in Toulon, France in 2001, the first prize at the International Trombone Competition in Guebwiller, France 1999, the first prize at the Holliday-Inn/ClassicFM Competition 1997 and the first prize at the National Soloist Contest for young music talents in 1994. He was also laureate of the International Brass Competition of Nizhny Novgorod in Russia.

In March 2001 Jörgen made his solo debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with the trombone concerto of Henri Tomasi.

Since 2003 he has been a founder and leading member of an ensemble that has been pushing the boundaries of trombone group performance, the New Trombone Collective. Based in Holland, the group has so far released three widely acclaimed CDs and invited to perform all around the world.

In 2004 he was awarded the Netherlands Music Prize, the highest distinction awarded by the Dutch Ministry of Culture, awarded by the state secretary of culture during a concert given by the RCO, with which he was performing as the soloist in the trombone concerto 'Solo' by Luciano Berio.

In March 2005 Jörgen released his first solo album on the Channel Classics label and this provides ample evidence of a superbly lyrical technique.

His instruments are listed as:
* Tenor trombone: Antoine Courtois Challenger II 420 B
* Baroque trombone: Meinl

Discography

*Sackbutt - Jörgen van Rijen, 2008, Channel Classics CCS-SA-26708
* New - New Trombone Collective, 2007, Etcetera KTC 1353
* Collective - New Trombone Collective; 2003, Qdisc Q97034
* Jörgen van Rijen Trombone, First Chairs of the RCO Vol 1; 2005, Channel Classics CCS SA 22305
* Trombone - New Trombone Collective; 2005, Etcetera KTC1284
* Brass a la Carte - Brassband Rijnmond; MBCD 31.1079.72

References

* jorgenvanrijen.com biography
* Jörgen van Rijen Trombone, liner notes

External links

* [http://www.jorgenvanrijen.com/ Jörgen van Rijen - official site]
* [http://www.newtrombonecollective.com/ New Trombone Collective]