Maarten Ornstein is a Dutch musician based in Amsterdam. He plays tenor saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet and also works as a composer and arranger. On occasion he plays tarogato, electric saxophone, MPC and laptop computers. He leads the free funk ensemble DASH! and performs as a soloist. Additionally, he plays with lutist Mike Fentross, singer Rima Khcheich, pianist Sunna Gunnlaugs and performance poet and singer Jeannine Valeriano. Maarten Ornstein endorses Légère reeds and is a member of Splendor Amsterdam.
Maarten Ornstein has composed for the North Sea Jazz Festival, Ties Mellema, New Music Choir Amsterdam, the Calefax Reed Quintet, the Metropole Orchestra, Anouk van Dijk DC, Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, the Ricciotti Ensemble, Chamber Music Amsterdam, pianists Gerard Bouwhuis and Daria van den Bercken, and the Dudok String Quartet.
His own projects include the particle cantata Creator/Destroyer, the radioplays Heavy Water and Serotonine, and a long list of compositions for his own ensembles. He played with the likes of Pat Metheny, The Ebony Band, Caoimhin O Raghallaigh, Ilse de Lange, David Liebman, Claron McFadden, Red Mitchell, Liam Ó Maonlai and the Schoenberg Ensemble.
