The Imani Winds Quintet

Wednesday, April 27, 7:30 pm, Hudson Hall

The Imani Winds has established itself as one of the most successful chamber music ensembles in the United States. Since 1997, the Grammy nominated quintet has taken a unique path, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, genre-blurring collaborations, and inspirational outreach programs. With two member composers and a deep commitment to commissioning new work, the group is enriching the traditional wind quintet repertoire while meaningfully bridging European, American, African and Latin American traditions.

Imani Winds' extensive touring schedule includes the country's major concert venues: Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Disney Hall and Kimmel Center. They are frequently engaged by the premier chamber music series in Boston, San Francisco, Portland, Philadelphia and New York, and by prestigious festivals including Chamber Music Northwest, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society, Virginia Arts Festival, Bravo! Colorado and Ravinia Festivals.

The group is in the midst of its Legacy Commissioning Project, an ambitious five-year endeavor to commission, premier and tour ten new works for woodwind quintet written by established and emerging composers of diverse musical backgrounds from around the globe.

The wide range of programs offered by Imani Winds demonstrates their mission to expand and diversify the repertoire for wind quintet. From Mendelssohn, Jean Françaix, György Ligeti, and Luciano Berio, to Astor Piazzolla, Elliott Carter and John Harbison, and to the unexpected ranks of Paquito D'Rivera and Wayne Shorter, Imani Winds actively seek to bring new music and new voices into the modern classical idiom.

Imani Winds enjoy frequent national exposure in all forms of media, including two features on NPR's All Things Considered, appearances on APM's Saint Paul Sunday, NPR's Performance Today and News and Notes with Ed Gordon, BBC The World. Their excellence and influences have been recognized with numerous awards including the 2007 ASCAP Award, 2002 CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, as well as the CMA/WQXR Award for their debut and self-released CD Umoja. At the 2001 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Imani Winds was selected as the first-ever Educational Residency Ensemble, in recognition of their tremendous musical abilities and innovative programming.

Imani Winds have four releases on E1 Music, including their 2006 Grammy Award nominated recording entitled The Classical Underground. The highly anticipated fifth release, Terra Incognita, is scheduled for release on August 24, 2010.

For further information on the Imani Winds visit their website at www.imaniwinds.com. For more information call the Willamette Music Department at (503) 370-6255.

The Imani Winds Quintet
Imani Winds Quintet

Master Classes & Lectures

Tuesday, April 26, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

  • Imani Winds: Master Class for Winds
  • Hudson Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, April 26, 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

  • Imani Winds: Student Composers' Reading. Admission is free and open to the public.
Willamette University

Arts at Willamette

Salem Campus

Address
900 State Street
Salem Oregon 97301 U.S.A.

Back to Top