Bassoonist Natalie Zemba is the founder, Artistic Director, and principal arranger of the Boston-based Kalliope Reed Quintet. With this ensemble she has performed throughout New England, toured internationally, and commissioned over 20 new works as part of the ensemble’s mission to expand and diversify the reed quintet repertoire while creating a sustainable future for 21st century chamber music (www.kalliopereedquintet.com). Prior to this she served as the principal bassoonist of Camerata Mazatlán, Templum New Music Ensemble, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de Las Artes in Culiacán, Mexico, from 2017-2021. During her time with the OSSLA she was featured twice as a soloist on the Mozart Bassoon Concerto and the Latin American premiere of Mathieu Lussier’s Double Concerto for Bassoon and Trumpet. She also was professor of bassoon and ear training at the Centro Municipal de Artes de Mazatlán, and the Escuela Superior de Música del ISIC in Culiacán. She currently splits her time between freelancing in Europe and Boston, with recent performances including the Vratsa Symphony (Bulgaria), Vector Reed Quintet (Netherlands), Portland Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, Plymouth Philharmonic, and Sound Icon. Natalie won the Boston Woodwind Society Sherman Walt Competition in 2015, and currently serves as a board member and treasurer for the organization. She holds degrees from the Royal Conservatory The Hague, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Eastman School of Music, and her principal teachers include Ole Kristian T. Dahl (Oslo Philharmonic), Alban Wesly (Calefax Reed Quintet), Richard Ranti (Boston Symphony), Nancy Goeres (Pittsburgh Symphony), John Hunt, Krassimir Ivanov, and Louise Goni.
