ABOUT US
DriftWood Trio is a New York based reed trio that is committed to exposing the beautiful blend of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon to various audiences. Formed in 2018, Kelly Smestad (oboe), Joshua Phillips (clarinet) and Garrett Brown (bassoon) are all in their doctoral studies in music at Stony Brook University.DriftWood won Second Prize in the 2020 ENKOR International Music Competition and was named a Quarter-Finalist during the 2020 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. In 2019 DriftWood performed for the Staller Center for the Arts Gala starring International Soprano and Opera Superstar, Renée Fleming. DriftWood performed at the Orlando Festival 2019 for two weeks in the beautiful Limburg region of The Netherlands. The trio has also performed many concerts in the Long Island/NYC area, including being selected to participate in the Decoda Integrative Performance Residency at Stony Brook University.
Currently a remote group, DriftWood has collaborated in various virtual concerts and projects during the Covid-19 pandemic through Three Village Chamber Music Players. DriftWood will be premiering their first album in August 2022, which will include a variety of repertoire from women composers. |
Garrett Brown, bassoon
Garrett Brown (b. 1995: Reading, PA) is currently a member of the USAF Band of Mid America located at Scott Air Force Base where he performs with the Concert Band and Midwest Winds. He is also currently pursuing his DMA in bassoon performance at SUNY Stony Brook where he studies with Frank Morelli. While at Stony Brook he has performed with the Baroque Ensemble and the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with numerous ensembles throughout PA, NY and MO including the Winter Opera St. Louis, the New Amsterdam Opera Company, the Manhattan Opera Studio, the Berks Sinfonietta, the Berks Opera Company, the Lancaster Opera Company and the Reading Pops Orchestra. As an avid teacher, Garrett has taught bassoon from beginners up through collegiate students. Most recently he was on faculty at Five Towns College where he taught Applied Bassoon, Woodwind Methods I and II as well as Chamber Music. Garrett received his undergraduate degree in Music Education with a Performance Certificate in Bassoon from Shenandoah Conservatory while studying with Ryan Romine and his masters degree in Bassoon Performance at SUNY Stony Brook.
Joshua Phillips, clarinet
Joshua Phillips (b. 1993: Lake Arrowhead, CA) is currently finishing his doctoral studies at Stony Brook University, under the tutelage of Alan R. Kay, with an expected graduation of May 2022. In his time at Stony Brook, Joshua has performed with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, the Contemporary Chamber Players, and has collaborated with numerous composers and commissioned works to diversify the clarinet repertoire and expand the pedagogy of the instrument. Joshua is a founding member and clarinetist of the DriftWood Trio and Wind Advisory Wind Quintet, as well as a member of the Staller Center for the Arts Advisory Council.
Joshua has toured with solo, chamber, and orchestral groups throughout many parts of North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as spent significant time concertising in New York and California. He has performed at various chamber music festivals, seminars, and summer intensive courses such as the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, Orlando International Music Festival, Orpheus@Mannes, International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest (multiple times), International Flute Symposium, XXXI Festival Isaac Albeniz (Spain), Jeju Island International Music Festival (South Korea), and Cremona International Music Festival (Italy).
Joshua has had a very active private clarinet studio in both the New York and Southern California areas with many students accepted to top state universities studying music performance and music education in addition to receiving significant scholarships. Joshua received his MM Clarinet Performance from Stony Brook University in 2019, BM Clarinet Performance from California State University Fullerton in 2017 (studying with Håkan Rosengren), and attended Riverside Community College (studying with Margaret Worsely).
Joshua has toured with solo, chamber, and orchestral groups throughout many parts of North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as spent significant time concertising in New York and California. He has performed at various chamber music festivals, seminars, and summer intensive courses such as the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, Orlando International Music Festival, Orpheus@Mannes, International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest (multiple times), International Flute Symposium, XXXI Festival Isaac Albeniz (Spain), Jeju Island International Music Festival (South Korea), and Cremona International Music Festival (Italy).
Joshua has had a very active private clarinet studio in both the New York and Southern California areas with many students accepted to top state universities studying music performance and music education in addition to receiving significant scholarships. Joshua received his MM Clarinet Performance from Stony Brook University in 2019, BM Clarinet Performance from California State University Fullerton in 2017 (studying with Håkan Rosengren), and attended Riverside Community College (studying with Margaret Worsely).
Kelly Smestad, oboe
Kelly Smestad was born and raised on Long Island, New York. Currently located in San Sebastián, Spain, she has been seen performing across the Basque Country, working with ensembles such as the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra and Euskadi Orchestra. After being awarded a Fulbright Pre-doctoral research grant for the 2020-2021 academic year, she relocated to Spain. She is currently continuing her research at Musikene, Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco with oboist Christian Wetzel, while also completing her DMA from Stony Brook University. Prior to her move to Spain, she was an active musician in the New York metro area, having worked with ensembles such as Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, Litha Symphony, and Massapequa Philharmonic. Ms. Smestad has made appearances at festivals such as National Music Festival, the Pierre Monteux School, and the Domaine Forget Academy .
Ms. Smestad received her Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music Education degrees in 2012 at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying under the principal oboist of the Colorado Symphony, Peter Cooper. She received her Master of Music in 2016 from Stony Brook University studying with Pedro Díaz of the Metropolitan Opera and James Austin Smith of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Ms. Smestad received her Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music Education degrees in 2012 at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying under the principal oboist of the Colorado Symphony, Peter Cooper. She received her Master of Music in 2016 from Stony Brook University studying with Pedro Díaz of the Metropolitan Opera and James Austin Smith of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Last Updated: March 2022