About Adonax.com

Adonax is a shortening of the term: Arundo donax, the cane used to make oboe reeds. It is known for its strength, resilience and for having a uniquely high damping factor, an attribute that makes it well suited for vibrating at different frequencies on demand.

This site combines portfolio and marketing for composer, oboist and Java programmer, Philip Freihofner. On this site you will find links and references to works I have arranged or composed, which usually include oboe as a member of the ensemble. I will also post on topics pertaining to the acoustics/physics of oboe and oboe reeds, and on various tools for reed making. The programming links pertain mostly to my interest in composing "procedural" sound scores, for example: music for computer games where the cues respond to changes of game state.

I obtained a BA in Music from the University of California at Berkeley in 1986. While there, I also studied programming in the EECS department, worked as a Lab Assistant at the Hearing Lab under Professor Ervin Haffter, and engaged in study of sensory information processing with Professor Eleanor Rosch. I also freelanced as a composer and sound designer, creating sound or composing for the Educational TV Office, both the Dramatic Arts and Dance departments and others. During a hiatus, I worked as a games programmer and held the title of Project Coordinator for the company Unison World, Inc., later known as Kyocera Unison.

Over the years, I've held various full- and part-time jobs while pursuing composing, performance, and study interests. I currently have a contract as a database programmer for UCSF Medical Center, and work Saturdays and Mondays at Forrests Music, a shop specializing in products for double reed players. I continue to compose and perform, and to develop music-related apps using the computer language Java.

Thank you for visiting this site!

The music now playing is a background track used in an electro-acoustic composition for oboe titled At the Edge of Sleep.