Biography
Having played over 600 concerts in 20 countries, reed quintet Calefax are in great demand all over the world. The quintet performs standing up, plays some pieces from memory, and always introduces itself and the program to the audience. Most importantly, the five musicians arrange, recompose and interpret music from eight centuries to suit their unique constellation: from early music to classical and jazz to world premières; in the hands of Calefax it all sounds fresh and new.
Calefax has explored many territories outside their native Netherlands from Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Italy, Russia and many festivals in the UK to, further a field, China, Japan and the USA.
The ensemble has won a number of prizes, and their discs, published by MDG, have met with consistently enthusiastic reactions: "A sublime sense of timing [...]. In short: here are five souls playing as one. These are … masters!"
The press on the in January 2009 released tenth CD with music by Conlon Nancarrow (with pianist Ivo Janssen): “Calefax makes brilliant cd“ (Het Parool)’ / “an absolute top-cd“ (Luister) / “Splashing Nancarrow“ (Telegraaf) / “konkurrenzloses Album“ (Ensemble, Germany).
Members of Calefax have built a reputation with their own, reed quintet fitting, arrangements. In addition to this some seventy new works written for the group complement the repertoire which spans many centuries of music history.
In recent years Calefax co-operated with
Zapp String Quartet, alto Helena Rasker (Moussorgski), mezzo soprano
Cora Burggraaf (Weill), jazz singers
Denise Jannah and
Astrid Seriese, choreographer
Sanne van der Put (Villa Goldberg), the
Tony Overwater Trio and trumpet player
Marco Blaauw.
Last season the group gave its debut performance at the Wigmore Hall in London after which the BBC immediately re-invited Calefax. Adam Gatehouse (Editor Live Music, BBC 3):‘’Calefax is one of the most exciting ensembles to have come my way!’’
For the 2009/10 season co-operations with percussionist
Arnold Marinissen, pianists
Ivo Janssen and
Michiel Braam, and organ player Geert Bierling are scheduled. During the season Calefax will, besides a busy concert schedule in The Netherlands, tour to Japan, US, Germany, Spain and UK. In The Netherlands Calefax are frequent guests at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw (Kleine Zaal) and Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, De Doelen/Rotterdam and Vredenburg/Utrecht.
In 2004 Calefax started publishing (for online sale) its most successful arrangements in the CalefaxEDITION. As a result of this several reed quintets have been formed all over the world. Through masterclasses and workshops the Calefax musicians pass on their specific ways of working and musical experiences to new generations. For musicians as well as composers, for audiences and press alike, Calefax continues to be an inspiring chamber music laboratory.
Calefax consists of:
Oliver Boekhoorn - oboe
Ivar Berix - clarinet
Raaf Hekkema - saxophone
Jelte Althuis - bass clarinet
Alban Wesly - bassoon
For more information:
info@calefax.nlwww.myspace.com/calefaxwww.youtube.com/user/CalefaxReedQuintetwww.facebook.com/calefaxor follow Calefax on
twitter.com/calefax
