Hans Jørgen Jensen

Hans Jørgen Jensen is Professor of Cello at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University in the Arts and Culture faculty. He earned a soloist diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in Denmark studying with Asger Lund Christiansen, attended The Juilliard School with Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins, and pursued private studies with Pierre Fournier, appearing in his master classes. Prior to his current position, Jensen served as Professor of Cello at the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston from 1979 to 1987. He teaches as summer faculty at the Meadowmount School of Music and the Young Artist Program at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada, under Pinchas Zukerman. Jensen has been a guest professor at numerous institutions, including the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, Oberlin College Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, Academy of Music in Sydney, Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen, Tokyo College of Music, Musashino Academy of Music in Japan, Festival de Musica de Santa Catarina in Brazil, Jerusalem Music Center, and PyeongChang International Festival and School in Korea.

Jensen has performed as a soloist across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan with orchestras such as the Danish Radio Orchestra, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Symphony, and Irish Radio Orchestra, under conductors including Simon Rattle, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Carlo Zecchi. He has presented workshops and master classes in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Brazil, Korea, Australia, and Israel. His students hold positions in major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Gulbenkian Orchestra in Portugal, Graz Philharmonic in Austria, and Montreal Symphony. Former students serve as principal cellists of the Toronto Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, and Symphony Nova Scotia, and teach at institutions such as Northwestern University, University of California at Berkeley, Cleveland Institute of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba. His students have won first prizes in the 2017 Klein Competition, 2017 Sphinx Competition, Casado International Competition in Japan, Johansen International Competition, MTNA National Competition, ASTA National Competition, Stulberg International Competition, Chicago Symphony Young Performers Competition, WAMSO Young Artist Competition, and prizes in the Queen Elisabeth Inaugural Cello Competition, Naumburg International Competition, Lutoslawski Cello Competition, and Klein Competition. Jensen received the 2010 American String Teachers Association Artist Teacher Award, Northwestern Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence award, U.S. Presidential Scholar Teacher Recognition Award, Copenhagen Music Critics Prize, Jacob Gades Prize, Danish Ministry of Cultural Affairs Grant for Musicians, and Illinois ASTA Outstanding Studio Teacher of the Year. His publications include transcriptions of the Galamian Scale System for Cello Volumes I and II published by E.C. Schirmer in Boston, Fun in Thumb Position by Shar Products Company, and CelloMind published by Ovation Press in 2017. He has also conducted the Northwestern Cello Ensemble in recordings such as Shadow, Echo, Memory and Canticles of the Sky.

Professional Email: h-jensen@northwestern.edu