Houtblazers

Houtblazers is a Dutch term that denotes woodwind players—the musicians who perform on instruments such as the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. The term derives from hout (wood) and blazers (wind instrument players) and is commonly used in Dutch orchestral and band contexts to refer to the woodwind section as a group.

In practice, houtblazers are organized into subgroups corresponding to each instrument family. They contribute melodic lines, harmonic support, and distinctive timbres to performances, and may also feature as soloists. In large ensembles, the section typically includes flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and, depending on the tradition, saxophones.

As a proper noun, Houtblazers may also be used as the name of a specific ensemble or project. However, there is no widely recognized international group by that name, and any such usage should be verified with contextual information.