Jörgen van Rijen is principal trombonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He 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 wider audience. He is a specialist in both modern and Baroque trombone. As a soloist he has played in most European countries, the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Singapore, and Australia, performing concertos with orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Taiwan Philharmonic Orchestra and the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra.

Jörgen was awarded the Netherlands Music Prize in 2004, the highest distinction in the field of music, by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Cultire and Science. 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, such as first prizes at the international trombone competitions of Toulon and Guebwiller.

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. 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. Additionally, he is an active chamber musician in ensembles such as the New Trombone Collective, RCO Brass, and Brass United.

Jörgen teaches at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and has been appointed International Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London.