Maarten Ornstein is a Dutch clarinettist, saxophonist and composer based in Amsterdam who has spent decades working at the crossroads of jazz, classical music and Arabic and baroque traditions. He is a resident musician at Splendor Amsterdam and has led the free-funk trio DASH! since 2004, releasing eight albums with the band. He has also composed for ensembles such as the Calefax Reed Quintet, the Metropole Orchestra and the North Sea Jazz Festival, and regularly collaborates with musicians including lutenist Mike Fentross and singer Rima Khcheich.
Ornstein's song cycle Tell it to the Sky, based on poems by Gazan poets, premiered on January 15, 2026.
The trio DASH! released the digital live album Radio Rotor on the Road on September 22, 2025.
On April 24, 2025, DASH! celebrated its 21st anniversary at the Bimhuis with a concert in which the album Radio Rotor was played in its entirety.
In October 2025, Ornstein announced a new BACH album with Mike Fentross and a new opera called Escape in Ecstasy.
On September 25, 2026, Ornstein presents a concert by Atzko Kohashi and Tony Overwater at Splendor Amsterdam.
