Brought together by the desire to perform unconventional music, Third Wheel is a woodwind trio unlike any other. With a repertoire spanning more than four centuries of music, Third Wheel expands the definition of chamber music with an unusual instrumentation and fresh, youthful perspective. Third Wheel is Adrienne Geffen on clarinet, Karin Kantenwein on flute, and Rich Ramberg on bassoon. Their friendships span more than 14 years with countless shared musicalperformances, but none as a trio until the ensemble was founded in 2007. The group is dedicated to seeking out lesser-known works by contemporary composers, and also steps outside the boundaries of classical music to perform works borrowed from jazz, folk and rock. In 2008, Third Wheel was selected by Young Artists International, in conjunction with the cities of Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach, to appear in various Southern California music series such as Laguna Beach Live and The Previews.
Adrienne Geffen, clarinetist, has performed in a multitude of ensembles and venues throughout the United States. As a pit-orchestra veteran of more than 30 musicals, Ms. Geffen has played in more than 65 different theatres in North America while on tour with Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. Ms. Geffen also cruised for two years with Royal Caribbean International, playing saxophone, clarinet and flute in the theatre orchestras on six different ships. She earned a Bachelor of Music in clarinet performance from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and completed a Master of Musicin multiple woodwinds performance from California State University, Fullerton. Her principal teachers include Diane Alancraig, J. Lawrie Bloom, Yehuda Gilad, Håkan Rosengren, James Rötter and Linda Silva. Ms. Geffen currently teaches clarinet at the University of La Verne and the Orange County High School for the Arts, and maintains an active freelance career throughout the Los Angeles area.
Flutist Karin Kantenwein is a dynamic orchestral performer, teacher and chamber musician. She has performed with the Orquestra Sinfonica UANL in Monterrey, Mexico, and with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra on their “Spirit of Louisiana” tour. She has also performed in the pit orchestra with the College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, Mass. Ms. Kantenwein earned a Bachelor of Music in flute performance from the University of Southern California, studying with Gary Woodward and James Walker, and she earned a Master of Music in flute performance from the University of North Texas, studying with Terri Sundberg. During her college studies, she had the opportunity to work with well-respected conductors and composers such as Robert Reynolds, Sergei Comissiona, Eugene Corporon, Anshel Brusilow, John Williams and Morten Lauridsen. While at UNT, Ms. Kantenwein performed with the esteemed North Texas Wind Symphony. She can be heard with this ensemble on Klavier Recording Project and GIA WindWorks: Poetics, Passions, Altered States and Transformations. She is a member of the honorary music society Pi Kappa Lambda. Ms. Kantenwein currently teaches flute at Mt. San Antonio College and plays piccolo in the Orange County Symphony.
Hailing from Minneapolis, Minn., Rich Ramberg studied bassoon, contrabassoon, and music cognition at Northwestern University. During that time, he performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and in productions of Evita, Footloose, Into the Woods, and Titanic: The Musical. Upon earning his Master’s degree from Yale University, Mr. Ramberg toured internationally with German productions of Aida and Carmina Burana, as well as with soloists from the Bolshoi, Kirov, and Kiev Ballets. Equally at home in classical and popular genres, Mr. Ramberg performed with Andy Summers of The Police, Krzysztof Penderecki, Sir Andrew Davis, Chris Brubeck, and David Robertson. Mr. Ramberg studied bassoon with Frank Morelli, Robert Barris, David McGill, and Bill Buchman; and contrabassoon with Norbert Nielubowski, Susan Nigro, and Burl Lane. He can be heard on the Naxos and Summit Records labels.
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