Music 541 presents: Splinter Reeds

Music 541 presents Splinter Reeds, performing new acoustic and electroacoustic works by Stanford composers. Splinter Reeds is the Bay Area’s first reed quintet, comprising five innovative musicians with a shared passion for new music. The ensemble is committed to presenting top-tier performances of today’s best contemporary composition, showcasing the vast possibilities of the reed quintet with an emphasis on commissioning new works, collaborating with fellow musicians and artists, and educating the next generation of musicians and music enthusiasts. 

Splinter Reeds formed in 2013, uniting five colleagues active in multiple facets of the Bay Area’s music scene: Kyle Bruckmann (oboe), Bill Kalinkos (clarinet), David Wegehaupt (saxophone), Jeff Anderle (bass clarinet), and Dana Jessen (bassoon). The sum of their experiences – free jazz, improvisation, electronic music, pop, punk, and metal, as well as classical – has enabled them to rapidly zero in on a specific aesthetic identity. Recent concert engagements include performances at the Mondavi Performing Arts Center, Berkeley Art Museum, Switchboard Music Festival, April in Santa Cruz Festival of Contemporary Music, San Francisco Center for New Music, and the Presidio Sessions chamber music series. Additionally, they have held residencies at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The ensemble released their debut album, Got Stung, in November 2015.

Splinter Reeds's collaboration with Stanford University’s graduate composers during a week-long residency in January will culminate in a performance of new works for reed quintet by Constantin Basica, Eoin Callery, Shu Yu Lin, Laura Steenberge, and Andrew Watts. After their Stanford residency, the ensemble will perform the same program January 16th at the San Francisco Center for New Music.