Imani Winds
The Grammy-nominated quintet Imani Winds will perform for the next installment of Lee University’s Presidential Concert Series on Thursday, Oct. 25, in Pangle Hall at 7:30 p.m.
Review for Imani Winds:
Over the course of the quintet’s more than 20-year career, Imani Winds has discovered what audiences value most from its concerts – a sense of connection with the music, the performers, the composers, the artistry, and beyond.
Hailed by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “what triumph sounds like,” Imani Winds has created a distinct presence in the classical music world through dynamic playing, culturally-relevant programming, virtuosic collaborations, and inspirational outreach programs.
Imani Winds, based in New York City, comprises artists Valerie Coleman, flute; Mark Dover, clarinet; Monica Ellis, bassoon; Jeff Scott, French horn; and Toyin Spellman-Diaz, oboe. The quintet actively seeks to engage new voices into the modern classical idiom by incorporating artists into their programs such as György Ligeti, Mendelssohn, and Igor Stravinsky to Elliott Carter, John Harbison, and Astor Piazzolla, along with 21st Century greats like Jason Moran, Frederic Rzewski, and Simon Shaheen.
The group has released four CDs, the first of which was nominated for a Grammy award in 2006, and has performed all over the world, including Australia, Brazil, England, and Singapore.
Ms. Coleman, originally from Kentucky and founder of Imani Winds, began studying music at 11 and by age 14, she had written three symphonies and won several local and state competitions. Prior to her solo debut at Carnegie Hall, Ms. Coleman was an understudy at Lincoln Center, two-time laureate of the Young Artist Competition at Boston University, and was the recipient of the Michelle E. Sahm Memorial Award at the Tanglewood Festival.
Mr. Dover, originally from Michigan, has performed at many major music halls since moving to New York in 2010, such as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and Weill Recital Hall. He has also performed or recorded with numerous jazz, pop, and musical theatre artists, including Charles Yang, Edward Simon, and The Temptations.
Ms. Ellis is originally from Pennsylvania and began playing music at the age of four. She played the clarinet, saxophone, and piano, but was not introduced to the bassoon until middle school. She studied with Mark Pancerev of the Pittsburgh Symphony throughout high school.
She is an active New York freelance musician, having performed with American Symphony Orchestra, Absolute Ensemble, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Ms. Ellis has also taught in multiple programs, such as Brooklyn College and in Julliard’s Music Advancement Program.
A New York native, Mr. Scott began playing the French horn at age 14. In addition to Imani Winds, Scott has many credits, such as playing in the Lion King orchestra on Broadway and the 1994 revival of Showboat. He can be heard on movie soundtracks scored by Terrence Blanchard and Tan Dun. He has also been on the horn faculty of the music department at Montclair State University since 2002.
As an orchestral musician, Ms. Spellman-Diaz has performed in the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. She has also performed numerous solo works with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Manhattan Virtuosi, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where she was hailed as having a “smooth, controlled tone and excellent technique” by the Washington Post.
Tickets for the concert are $15 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available for purchase at the Lee University Box Office in the Dixon Center or by contacting 614-8343, one week prior to the event, between 3-6 p.m. Tickets are also available at https://www.showclix.com/.
For more information about the Presidential Concert Series, visit http://www.leeuniversity.edu/pcs/ or call the School of Music at 614-8240.