Historical
Trombonist
& Tenor
Specialist for Renaissance
& Baroque music
Henry Van Engen (b. 1993) is a historical trombonist, tenor
and researcher specialized
in Renaissance and early
Baroque performance practice from Annapolis (USA), based in Freiburg (DE).
Receiving his first musical training on the piano at age 5, Henry began his bachelor studies as a solo pianist at the age of 17. After switching to trombone, Henry completed his bachelor’s degree in solo trombone at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (USA) in 2015. Following his interest in orchestral music, Henry moved to Europe and was a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Mainz (DE) for the 2015-2016 season, in addition to completing a master’s degree in solo trombone at the Musikhochschule Trossingen (DE) in 2018. His specialization in historical performance practice began at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (CH) in 2015 with Charles Toet, culminating in a Master of Historical Trombone in 2021 with Catherine Motuz and his successful master’s thesis on the diminution practice of the 16th and 17th centuries “Italianische Manier”: the Italian Filiation of Ornamentation Descriptions in Praetorius's Syntagma Musicum III (1619).
In 2023, Henry completed a Specialized Master of Renaissance Studies in Voice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Katarina Livljanić. Henry’s research project Johann Andreas Herbst’s Musica Practica: Developing a Functional Ornamentation Language was sponsored by the research department of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and contains the first English translation of Herbst’s landmark treatise Musica Practica (1642), to be published in 2025.
Currently one of the most sought-after historical trombonists worldwide, Henry was chosen to be an Artist-in-Residence for 2024 at Schloss Weißenbrunn, together with harpsichordist and organist Rafaela Salgado. Their duo Con Gratia e Dispositione explores the written and improvised ornamentation practice of the late 16th and early 17th centuries by composers such as Bovicelli, dalla Casa, Rognoni and Bassano. Henry’s first solo CD ‘Imperial Arias’ with his trio Le Filigrane will be released in Spring 2025, featuring recently rediscovered ornate arias from the Viennese court of the early 18th century for mezzo-soprano, alto and tenor trombone and organ. He is also a founding member of the Basel-based ensemble for 17th century music, Celesti Fiori.
Henry plays and sings regularly with important ensembles such as Concerto Scirocco, I Fedeli, Le Miroir de Musique, La Fonte Musica, the Innsbrucker Hofmusik, Castello Consort, Ensemble Peregrina, Capella Helvetica, Ensemble La Chimera, Margaretha Consort, Capriccio Barockorchester, the Augsburger Domsingknaben, European Hanse Ensemble, Les Haulz et les Bas and Cappella Marciana, the professional ensemble of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. Henry has appeared in renowned festivals and concert halls such as ReRenaissance, Abendmusik Basel (CH), Narodowe Forum Muzyki Wrocław, Goldberg Festival (PL), Urbino Musica Antica, Wunderkammer Trieste (IT), Festival Radovlijca (SLO), AMUZ Antwerpen (B), Trigonale, the Tiroler Landesmuseum (A), die Elbphilharmonie, Pierre Boulez Saal and Tage Alter Musik Regensburg (DE). He can be heard on numerous CDs including ‘The Krasinski Codex: 15th Century Music from Cracow’ (Raumklang), ‘Antoine Gosswin: Selected Works (Ricercar)’, ‘Martini: la Fleur de Biaulté (Ricercar) and ‘De Fay: Missa Se la Face ay Pale’ (Amadeus). Henry’s editions are published by Septenary Editions.
Henry is an in demand pedagogue and has given workshops at Alte Musik in Hof (DE), Urbino Musica Antica (IT), the Escola de Música da Sé de Évora (PT) and Cantare et Sonare (A). When not performing concerts, he is also the conductor of the Grenzacher Kantorei (DE). Henry maintains a teaching studio in Freiburg (DE), please use the contact form below for inquiries about private lessons or chamber music coachings.
