Splinter Reeds is the West Coast's first reed quintet, formed in 2013 with the coming together of five colleagues highly active in multiple facets of the New Music scene throughout the Bay Area and internationally. The sum of their wide ranges of experience – in settings including free jazz, improvisation, electronic music, pop, punk, and metal as well as classical – has enabled them to rapidly zero in on a distinct aesthetic identity. Distinguishing themselves amongst even the relatively small number of professional reed quintets currently active worldwide, the ensemble is explicitly dedicated to cutting-edge composition and expanding the existing reed quintet repertoire through the collaborative development of new works by emerging and established composers. In this presentation, they will highlight extended techniques for their instruments.

photo credit: Lenny Gonzalez