Saxophonist Raaf Hekkema is marked by an adventurous spirit, whether as a solo player or with the Calefax Reed Quintet, which he founded. He is also a composer and a noted educator, teaching at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Hekkema has a substantial recording catalog, some of it with the Calefax Reed Quintet and more recently on his own, covering a wide variety of material. In 2024, Hekkema released the album Karg-Elert on the Pentatone label.
Hekkema was born in Amsterdam on April 23, 1968. While still a student at the Barlaeus Gymnasium (High School) in Amsterdam, h...