BIOGRAPHY
IpsoFacto
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IpsoFacto is a new reed quintet that was inspired by the Calefax Reed Quintet to join forces in September, 2017. Soon after their formation, they were given the opportunity to perform along side with Calefax, during which project they were also coached by members of Calefax. The members of IpsoFacto studied at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and Codarts. Two of the members come from Portugal and the other three from Spain, México and the United States. Together they make a young and dynamic team and share a passion for this relatively new type of ensemble.
At the moment the ensemble is working on new repertoire and is planning to perform their program in the near future to make their entrance as a chamber music ensemble.
Sofia Baptista Torgal
Oboe
Born in 1992, she started her oboe studies at the age of 16. In 2015, she finished the supplementary course Wind and Percussion Instrumentalists at the Professional School of Art Covilhã (Portugal) in the class of Francisco Luis Vieira. She participated in several oboe masterclasses and worked with prestigious national and international masters such as Omar Zoboli, Washington
Barella, Arnaldo de Felice, Ali Groen, Bart Schnemman and Alexei Ogrintchouk. She participated in several orchestral works with renowned conductors such as Carlos Reinaldo Guerreiro, Luís Clemente, Alberto Roque, Pedro Neves, JeanSebastien Béreau, Jan Willem de Vriend, Ernst Schelle and Valery Gergiev. Sofia was selected for the Aproarte orchestra three yea rs in a row, two of them as Principal Oboist. She also played in the MiMA Orchestra (Mostra Inter Escolas de Music), ONJ (Orquestra Nacional de Jovens), Esart Baroque Orchestra, Metropole Orkest Academy and NSO (Nederlands Student Orkest).. She has played with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra for the Matthäus Passion by J.S. Bach, The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky and Brahms Symphony no. 2. Right
now she is finishing her Bachelor studies in the Roya
l Conservatory of The Hague in the class of
Remco de Vries.
Abraham Goméz
Clarinet
Passionate clarinettist originally from Monterrey, Mexico has been involved in countless artistic activities in his native country as well as in the world. He studied music at the Superior School of Music and Dance of Monterrey under the tutelage of Vanguel Tangarov and later with Robert Hoit III. He is currently studying the master program at Codarts under the tutelage of Julien Hervé. His ambition has led him to participate at an early age in professional orchestras, chamber groups and soloists.
His curiosity to learn more about his instrument has led him to festivals in Canada, Spain, Peru, Italy and Mexico taking master classes with world-renowned masters such as Yehuda Gilad, Charles Neidich, Wenzel Fuchs, Pascual Martinez-Forteza, Antonio Saiote, Manuel Hernandez, Luis Humberto Ramos, among others.
Abraham Gómez, who is considered a sensitive and passionate person, is particularly close to chamber music. He has constantly participated in different groups and ensembles, ranging from duets to large ensembles; He has also been able to work with current composers presenting new works and exploring the range of colours and techniques that lead to his instrument.
His constant participation in orchestras has led him to be part of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Desert of Coahuila, Chamber Orchestra of the FAMUS of the UANL, Orquesta Juvenil Universitaria Eduardo Mata, Saltillo Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed as soloist on several occasions playing concerts of composers such as Mozart, Weber, Spohr, Copland and Debussy.
In 2012, he was awarded a scholarship to be a participant in the Orquesta Juvenil Universitaria Eduardo Mata, a program organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to develop and explore the orchestral repertoire at a high musical level. In 2015, he won the second place in the "National Clarinet Competition" organized by the School of Music of the UNAM. Currently, he has the CONACYT-FINBA and Holland Scholarship to continue his master studies at Codarts, University of Arts in Rotterdam, Holland.
Marta Fitzsimmons Carnero
Bass Clarinet
Born in Malaga (Spain), she started her studies of clarinet at the age of 8 in the Band of Music “Mirafores y Gibraljaire”. She started the elementary studies of piano in the Conservatory “Gonzalo Martn Tenllado”, where she obtained her Professional Degree as well. She fnished her Bachelor degree of clarinet at Malaga’s Superior Conservatory, at the same tme that she got the Bachelor degree of Music Educaton at the University of Malaga. Then, she moved to Roterdam to complete her Master of interpretaton with Professor Nancy Braithwaite. Last year, she fnished a "contract study" year on the Efat clarinet with Professor Jan Jansen. She has been member of several young orchestras, among which NJO (Natonal Young Orchestra of The Netherlands) or Neue Philharmonie München, where she had the opportunity to work with renowned conductors such as: Yoel Gamzou, Fuad Ibrahimov, Oksana Lyniv, Ainars Rubikes, Clark Rundell or Gregory Charete. At the same tme, she was taking part of Malaga’s Conservatory Orchestra and Codarts’s Orchestra. Related to bands of music, she has been member of the Music Band “Mirafores y Gibraljaire”, Torremolinos's Band of Music (Málaga, Spain), and she got an internship to be member at Málaga’s Municipal Band of Music for three years. Furthermore, she has been member of EUYWO (European Youth Wind Orchestra). She has partcipated in many masterclasses with internatonals Professors such as Yehuda Gilad, Andreas Sunden, Pascal Moragues, Bruno Bonansea, Henri Bok, Julien Hervé, Laura Ruíz, José Luis Estellés or Antonio Salguero. She has won some prizes with diferent chamber music groups, as an Honor Menton with Duo Mitjana or a third prize with Andalu-Sax. Furthermore, she has partcipated in the Mendelssohn Festval (Hamburg, Germany) with Trio Mitjana (clarinet, cello and piano).
Simão Ramos
Saxofone
Simão Ramos began playing saxophone in the Covilhã Band in 2012 and in that same year he began studying at Epabi (Covilhã Professional Arts School), under the direction of professor Tiago Gonçalves.
He has participated in several masterclasses with Claude Delange, Vincent David, Arno Bornkamp, ​​Christophe Grèzes, Fernando Ramos, Tommy Macalist, and some workshops with Leo van Oostrom, David Kweksilber.
Throughout his career Simão has also participated in various internships and orchestra workshops conducted by Luis Clemente, João Cerqueira, Jan Cober and Alex Schillings. He also participated for 2 years in the Big Band of Epabi.
During these years, he has participated in several concerts and competitions with the EPABI Wind Orchestra, including the VIII Beira Interior Music Festival in 2013 and the international competition Filarmonia D'Ouro in Europarque.
In the year 2014, he played baritone saxophone a solo quartet, the "Saxtory" of Jérôme Naulais, with Epabi wind orchestra, under the direction of Luís Vieira.
In 2015 he was admitted to the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the class of Professor Raaf Hekkema, where he is currently studying.
Ben Zelinsky
Basson
Ben Zelinsky grew up in Washington, D.C., where he began studying with Linda Harwell, then the second bassoonist of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington. In 2014 he received his Bachelor of Music at McGill University in Montreal. There he studied with Stéphane Lévesque, principal bassoonist of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. He completed his Master of Music in 2017 at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague where he received lessons from Bram van Sambeek. Ben has played with various professional orchestras and student orchestras, such as the Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht (2016), the Nederlands Studenten Orkest (2016), the Maryland Lyric Opera Company (2015), the McGill Symphony Orchestra and the orchestra of the Hague Royal Conservatoire with Jac van Steen. He has also participated in a number of music festivals, such as Domaine Forget and the Orford Music Academy wind octet project, as well as masterclasses with the world famous chamber music ensembles Imani Winds and Calefax Reed Quintet. He has also played contrabassoon with Calefax twice in a reed orchestra. Ben is now taking lessons from Jos de Lange, bassoonist in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
