The Calefax Reed Quintet, a prominent Dutch contemporary music ensemble, is celebrated for pioneering the "reed quintet" format, which includes the oboe, soprano clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet, and bassoon within the modern classical repertoire. Since its inception in 1985, Calefax has toured internationally and has been dedicated to popularizing this innovative ensemble configuration, commissioning over two hundred original works and rearranging a diverse range of chamber music. By the mid-2000s, several ensembles began to emerge in both Holland and Argentina, and following the establishment of the Eastwind Reed Quintet at UNC Greensboro in 2006 and the Akropolis Quintet at the University of Michigan in 2009, a significant number of reed quintets have appeared throughout the United States. Currently, the semi-official "Worldwide Reed Quintet Network," maintained by Calefax on its website, lists over 60 ensembles across Europe, England, North America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan.
The origins of Calefax date back to when four students from the Barlaeus Gymnasium sought the expertise of renowned composer and trombonist Willem van Manen to compose a piece specifically for them. The ensemble, comprised of saxophonists Raaf Hekkema and Lucas Van Helsdingen, bassoonist Alban Wesly, and oboist Eduard Wesly, had just performed van Manen's opera during the school's centennial celebration. Van Manen subsequently provided the composition titled Barlaeus Blaaskwintet, which introduced the clarinet to enhance the sound palette. In November 1985, the group made its debut as the "Barlaeus Wind Quintet" at De Ysbreeker, with one of their music teachers, Geert Kapteijns, filling in for the clarinet part. Soon after, clarinetist Ivar Berix took over, and the ensemble evolved to include two saxophones, a bassoon, an oboe, and a clarinet. Shortly thereafter, Lucas Helsdingen transitioned to bass clarinet to achieve a more balanced sound, solidifying the ensemble's now-iconic configuration. The Calefax repertoire encompasses a wide range of music history, from the Renaissance and Baroque periods to works by impressionist composers, as well as jazz, free improvisation, avant-garde, and experimental music. The ensemble is known for its unconventional performance practices, including playing from memory, performing without chairs on stage, and announcing pieces loudly, influenced by the techniques of the Ricciotti Ensemble street orchestra.
The Calefax Reed Quintet has collaborated with a variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles, including the Tony Overwater Trio, Quatuor Danel, Orlando Consort, Mad Cows Sing, Cappella Amsterdam, and Nederlands Kamerkoor. The ensemble has also worked with solo vocalists such as Lenneke Ruiten, Christianne Stotijn, Helena Rasker, Denise Jannah, Mohammad Motamedi, Cora Burggraaf, and Astrid Seriese, as well as pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Ivo Janssen, Louis van Dijk, and Michiel Braam. Additionally, they have performed with violinists Liza Ferschtman and Claude Chalhoub, cellist Matthew Barley, harpist Remy van Kesteren, trombonist Christian Lindberg, trumpeter Eric Vloeimans, clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and visual artists Jaap Drupsteen and Wouter van Reek. In 2013, Calefax contributed to the soundtrack for the natural history documentary De Nieuwe Wildernis ("New Wilderness") by composer Bob Zimmerman.
The name "Calefax" is derived from a now-defunct ship engine construction company, "Calefax N.V. Amsterdam—Rotterdam." Initially, the musicians chose the name simply because it was an unusual word that Raaf Hekkema remembered seeing on a street sign during his childhood on Amsterdam's Bickeseiland, or "western island."
### Calefax Line-up
- Oboe: Oliver Boekhoorn (since 1997)
- Clarinet: Bart de Kater (since 2020)
- Saxophone: Raaf Hekkema
- Bass Clarinet: Jelte Althuis (since 1994)
- Bassoon: Alban Wesly
### Former Members
- Oboe: Eduard Wesly (1985–1997)
- Clarinet: Geert Kapteijns (1985), Ivar Berix (1985–2020)
- Bass Clarinet: Lucas Helsdingen (circa 1986–1994)
