Calefax celebrates its 40th anniversary with a big reed (quintet) party: Calefax Reed Festival!
A jam-packed weekend of music. A trip down to memory lane for some, a surprise party for others. Come to a concert or (free) activity of your choice. The Calefax Reed Festival is four days of concerts, workshops, meetings and experiences.
Perform with and learn from renowned reed players
There are activities for musicians of all ages and levels to play along with renowned reed players and learn from them. Attend recitals by Calefax’s favourite, groundbreaking top soloists, participate in a workshop by the musicians of Calefax, and play along in the free Play-In concert. For this concert, the Composer Laureate of the Netherlands, Anne-Maartje Lemereis, is composing a new work! The (side) programme will continue to be filled in over the next few months.
All You Can Reed
For those who can’t get enough: attend all evening shows for €40 per concert. Or choose the All You Can Reed package and get the best possible discount for the entire festival!
The Calefax Reed Festival is supported by Stichting Reinbert de Leeuw, Dioraphte, Cultuurfonds, Van den Berch van Heemstede Stichting, Fonds Podiumkunsten, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Sociéte Gavigniës, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Conservatorium van Amsterdam and the Royal Conservatoire.
Learn more about the history of Calefax – the world’s first reed quintet!
The Alba Rosa Viëtor / Calefax Composers Competition offers young composers and reed quintets a stage. The jury selects four works to be premiered on this evening, performed by Calefax and other leading international reed quintets.
Take masterclasses from star reed players at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.
Calefax and renowned trumpet player Eric Vloeimans present a swinging new version of Purcell’s famous baroque opera Dido and Aeneas.
For those who want to stay for a drink after the evening concert, Calefax is opening its own café: CaféLax. Besides drinks and socialising, there will be space for short, spontaneous performances – until late in the evening.
Calefax shares the stage with the wind orchestra of the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Exhilarating, moving and jubilant – Un Momento Dado is a rollercoaster ride through different musical styles.
Valeria Curti is first bassoonist of the Swiss orchestra Musikkollegium Winterthur and teaches bassoon at the Bern Academy of the Arts. In this recital, Curti gives an authentic insight into the happy and difficult phases young artists face on their way to becoming a professional musician.
The Kalamos Reed Quintet is the first and only reed quintet in southern Europe and is one of Croatia’s leading wind ensembles. For their Dutch debut, the musicians present a showcase of different styles and musical possibilities.
Nicolas Arsenijevic is one of the leading saxophonists of his generation. In this recital, Arsenijevic showcases the rich dialogue between French and American music, highlighting their mutual influences throughout the 20th century.
The Grammy award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet presents a program which honors the coming 2026 celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
Clarinetist Shirley Brill, acclaimed for her expressive playing and musicality, performs three masterpieces for clarinet by Francis Poulenc, Bela Bartók and Johannes Brahms.
Versatile, adventurous, innovative – that’s the Reed Quintet! Calefax presents a showcase of the richness of the genre.
A humorous performance without words, but with lots and lots of music of classical composers such as Bach, Debussy and Prokofiev.
Always wanted to play together with professional musicians? This is your chance! Come to a workshop with one of the musicians from Calefax.
The five musicians of Dianto underwent a DNA test to trace their own origins and find out which (new) families they belong to. The results were surprising! DNA musically expresses the very diverse composition of the group’s DNA and is an ode to global citizenship.
Bring your own reed instrument and play along! Or come listen to this free concert. Renowned artists, including Calefax and other reed quintets, share the stage with reed players of all levels. For this concert, Composer of the Netherlands Anne-Maartje Lemereis will write a new work.