About Q-Reeds

Thank you for your interest in Q-Reeds! I am Quincey Trojanowski, and I have been in love with the bassoon since I was nine years old—about thirteen years ago!

I am a first-year MM Bassoon Performance major currently studying with Benjamin Kamins at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. I received my BM in Bassoon Performance at the University of Texas at Austin with Kristin Wolfe Jensen. The Herzberg-Kamins reed making method has been a crucial part of my growth as a bassoonist since I first learned about reed making.

Originally from Chicago, I am an alumna of the Merit School of Music, the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. Recently, I have played as a substitute bassoonist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and I am a substitute bassoonist for the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras.

I also was a finalist in the 2021 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, the 3rd place winner of the 2023 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, and a member of the 2021 & 2022 Round Top Institute’s Texas Festival Orchestra. My past teachers include Drew Pattison (current professor of bassoon at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music) as well as Miles Maner, who plays 2nd bassoon in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and teaches bassoon at DePaul University. I have been making/adjusting reeds since 8th grade, and I refine my work with each reed I make. Since I began making reeds, I have used the Herzberg style of reedmaking.

I created Q-Reeds to help give other bassoonists access to quality Herzberg reeds at different stages of production. This will not only be useful for experienced players, but it will also help new reedmakers learn more about the reed-finishing process. As a student myself, I know the realm of reedmaking can seem intimidating! With Q-reeds, I plan to provide reliable canvases for reedmaking work as well as good models for a finished reed.