Jörgen van Rijen 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 Supèrieur de Musique de Lyon, where he also studied baroque trombone with Daniel Lasalle. In addition he attended lessons and master classes with artists such as Christian Lindberg, Joseph Alessi, Jay Friedman, bassoonist Brian Pollard and cellist Anner Bijlsma.
Since 1997 van Rijen has been principal trombonist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, of which he was the youngest member for several years. Previously he held the same position with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He teaches trombone at the Rotterdam Conservatory.

In 2004 he was awarded the prestigious Netherlands Music Prize, the highest distinction in the field of music from the Dutch Ministry of Culture. This prize was presented by the state secretary of culture during a concert given by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, with which he was performing as the soloist in the trombone concerto ‘SOLO’ by Luciano Berio. In 2006 van Rijen received the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. This prestigious international award is presented yearly by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust to a selection of the most promising and talented young soloists and ensembles. Van Rijen also won other prizes, including first prize at international trombone competitions in Toulon (France) in 2001 and Guebwiller (France) in 1999.

Van Rijen has become a well-known soloist and teacher both at home and abroad. He has given recitals and master classes in most European countries and in the United States, Japan and Australia, including the conservatories of Paris, Toronto, Sydney, San Francisco, Tokyo and the Juilliard School. He has appeared as a soloist with various orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Amsterdam Sinfonietta.

Various composers such as Jan van Vlijmen, Martijn Padding, Florian Maier and Jacob ter Veldhuis have written solos for van Rijen, and in 2007 he premiered a trombone concerto by Theo Verbey with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.

Van Rijen is an active chamber musician in ensembles such as the Ebony Band, the New Trombone Collective and the Brass of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO brass). He was one of the founders of the New Trombone Collective and the RCO Brass, and he is artistic leader of both ensembles.