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Fermata Reeds was started by four UT Austin students that focused on developing synthetic bassoon reeds that are longer lasting while not compromising sound quality. The team consists of Zoelle Wong, Lizette Wong, Alli Smith, and Brigit Fitzgerald. They are UT Austin students who share a passion for STEM and the creative arts. Fermata Reeds, a materials company dedicated to producing reeds that are more economically accessible and ecologically friendly.
Fermata Reeds was able to share their company and individual stories at a Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute FoundHER talk on August 29, 2022. They were able to share their personal stories, entrepreneurial journeys, and advice they had for students.
Fermata Reeds was born from a conversation between Dean Sharon Wood and Scott Evans, director of Texas Inventionworks, at UT Austin. In this conversation, Dean Wood, who is also a bassoonist, mentioned the main drawback of playing her instrument—the reed, the mouthpiece of the instrument that enables it to make music. Scott Evans brought this problem to Lizette Wong’s attention. Lizette, an engineering and music student, along with her sister and fellow engineer, Zoelle Wong, then began to tackle this problem.
They partnered with Brigit Fitzgerald, a bassoonist pursuing her DMA at UT, to understand the problems with current bassoon reeds and to begin to brainstorm possible ways of overcoming them. One main problem with these reeds is their poor durability, often only lasting a month, resulting in recurring costs that make the instrument inaccessible to many students.
The team originally tried 3D-printing reeds, however, these reeds were incapable of making a sound, the material used in 3D-printing was too thick to induce vibrations. After exploring further they were able to find another possible solution: a biocomposite reed made of both wood and plastic.
In order to perform the chemical processes to produce these reeds, the fourth and final member of Fermata Reeds, Lettie Smith, a chemistry graduate student, was added to the team. The first Fermata Reed was completed in Summer 2021, and, unlike its 3D-counterpart, it made music!
The Fermtata Reeds team is now working to expand their business and increase exposure of this revolutionary product.
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FoundHER Talks are hosted by FoundHERs, members of the KS WELI FoundHER Cohort. FoundHER talks create a safe space for discussion on what it’s like to start your own venture. Any questions related to entrepreneurship are welcome. This is a great event to attend if you’re interested in creating a company and don’t know where to start. See her, be her, ask her anything.
About The Team:
Zoelle Wong '22
Aerospace Engineering,
East Asian Studies, and Chinese
Lizette Wong '24
Electrical and Computer Engineer,
and Jazz Studies
Lettie Smith '25
PhD
Brigit Fitzgerald '21
DMA
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