Revision as of 21:03, 30 April 2021 by Jfishy99(talk | contribs)(added a section explaining the name and the history of the group. Copied directly from my sandbox)
Imani Winds is an American wind quintet based in New York City, United States. The group was founded by flutist Valerie Coleman in 1997[1] and is known for its adventurous and diverse programming, which includes both established and newly composed works.[2] The word Imani means "faith" in Swahili. They are also active commissioners of new music with the intent of introducing more diverse composers to the wind quintet repertoire.[3]
Overview
The name "Imani Winds" was chosen by Coleman before she formed the quintet. She viewed it as a vision of what the quintet could mean to African-American and other underrepresented communities.[4] Coleman wanted to form a chamber group to highlight the work of underrepresented composers and performers.[4] Therefore, the group's initial members were all of African American and Latino ancestry. The group first included Valerie Coleman on flute, Torin Spellman-Diaz on oboe, Monica Ellis on bassoon, Mariam Adam on clarinet, and Jeff Scott on french horn.[4] Since then, Brandon Patrick George has replaced Valerie Coleman and Mark Dover has replaced Mariam Adam.
The group has released four CDs. Their first CD on a major label, The Classical Underground (Koch Entertainment), was released in January 2005 and was nominated for a Grammy award in 2006.[6]
The group's members are of African American and Latin American ancestry, and the name Imani means "faith" in the Swahili language. The group consists of five musicians with Valerie Coleman on flute, Torin Spellman-Diaz on oboe, Monica Ellis on bassoon, Mariam Adam on clarinet, and Jeff Scott on french horn.
Valerie Coleman composed a piece for the symphonic winds of Roma High School called "Roma" dedicated to the students of Roma High School, Texas. She composed it in the summer of 2009 and the recording was available to the Audience in spring of 2010.
Discography
Year
Title
Genre
Label
Notes
2010
Terra Incognita
Contemporary Classical
E1 Entertainment
2007
Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot!
Cabaret tunes
Koch Int'l Classics
2006
Imani Winds
Jazz
Koch Int'l Classics
2005
The Classical Underground
Classical
Koch Int'l Classics
2002
Umoja
Classical
Self-Produced
featured original works by flutist Valerie Coleman