From 1957 to 1962 he studied conducting and musical composition with Ruth Zechlin at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin.
Children and young people are accompanied there in the creative, compositional handling of sheet music and work together with musicians on their first own pieces.
From 1988 Hans Jürgen Wenzel worked as a freelance composer and conductor in Berlin and Halle, his special commitment was to New Music.
After 2000, he was Honorary Professor at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden and also worked as a lecturer in composition at home and abroad.
Among his students were Annette Schlünz, Uwe Krause, Karsten Gundermann, Michael Flade, and Alexander Keuk.