Imani Winds
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Concert Preview
WKNO 91.1 FM's "Checking on the Arts" Darel Snodgrass interviews Monica Ellis, founding member & bassoonist for the Imani Winds
2024 GRAMMY® WINNER Best Classical Compendium
Kevin Newton
French Horn
Monica Ellis
Bassoon
Brandon Patrick George
Flute
Toyin Spellman-Diaz
Oboe
Mark Dover
Clarinet
Thursday, September 26, 2024
7:30 PM Harris Concert Hall
Trailblazing
Dynamic
Imaginative
Adventurous
Captivating
Repertoire
Grooves & Meditations
Red Clay and Mississippi Delta Valerie Coleman
Wind Quintet No.1 Kalevi Aho
A Little Cuban Waltz* Paquito D’Rivera
-Intermission-
Overjoyed Stevie Wonder arr. Mark Dover
Alevi Dedeler raki masasinda Fazil Say
Dance Mediterranea Simon Shaheen arr. Jeff Scott
*Written for Imani Winds and commissioned by the Imani Winds Foundation.
Premiered on June 16, 2023, New York City.
Celebrating a quarter century of music making, the 2024 Grammy® Winner Best Classical Compendium IMANI WINDS has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
“If it’s possible for a classically trained wind quintet to rock the house, Imani Winds blows the roof off." — NPR
About the Quintet
Imani Winds is the 2024 GRAMMY® winner in the Classical Compendium category for Jeff Scott’s “Passion for Bach and Coltrane” released on their recently formed record label, Imani Winds Media.
Celebrating over a quarter century of music making, the three time GRAMMY® nominated group has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
The ensemble’s playlist embraces traditional chamber music repertoire, and newly commissioned works from voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live.
Recent and upcoming projects include a Jessie Montgomery composition inspired by her great-grandfather’s migration from the American south to the north, a work by Carlos Simon celebrating iconic figures of the African American community and a new sextet by Viet Cuong. These works and more have been commissioned as a part of the Legacy Commissioning Project. Reflecting on the issues of mass incarceration, Imani Winds 11th studio recording, “Belonging” by and with Andy Akiho will be released Summer 2024.
Twenty-seven seasons of full-time touring has brought Imani Winds to virtually every major chamber music series, performing arts center, and summer festival in the U.S. They regularly perform in prominent venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center and have a presence at festivals such as Chamber Music Northwest, Chautauqua Institution and Banff Centre.
To date, one of Imani Winds’ most humbling recognitions is a permanent presence in the classical music section of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC.