The Cascadia Reed Quintet is a unique ensemble inspired by the pioneering Dutch reed quintet, Calefax. This new genre of chamber music is comprised of instruments that use reeds to create sound including the oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet, and bassoon. The blend of timbres lends itself to a variety of musical styles and genres which are featured in arrangements of popular classics as well as original compositions for the ensemble. The Cascadia Reed Quintet is made up of top woodwind players from the Vancouver, BC area with a collected background in orchestral music, contemporary chamber music, world music, and jazz.
Meet the Quintet
Christopher Lee – clarinet. Christopher is currently principal clarinet of the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra and occasionally performs with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Victoria Symphony Orchestra.
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Olivia Martin – bassoon. Olivia is a busy freelance musician performing in a number of ensembles around BC. She has been Principal Bassoonist in the Kamloops Symphony since 2002 and has played with the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra since 1999.
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A.K. Coope – bass clarinet. AK performs with an eclectic array of ensembles, including the Vancouver Symphony, Turning Point, Vancouver New Music and Victoria’s Aventa Ensemble, among many others. For over 10 years she has been a member of Standing Wave, one of Canada’s leading new music chamber ensembles.
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Marea Chernoff – oboe/English horn. Marea is an active freelance musician based out of Vancouver. She is currently principal oboe with the Kamloops Symphony and Lions Gate Sinfonia while also playing frequently with various groups in British Columbia.
Colin MacDonald – soprano/alto saxophone.