Imani Winds join forces with the Catalyst Quartet for an absorbing program highlighting the experience of migration. (im)migration: music of change features music written or inspired by migrants and immigrants from the African and Latin diaspora. Performing both individually and together, the ensembles transform ancestral stories into music.
The ensembles join together for a performance of Concierto de Cámara by American Roberto Sierra and Sergeant McCauley, by Jessie Montgomery that tracks the journey of her great-grandfather during the Great Migration.
Sergeant McCauley is inspired by personal family stories of the African American Great Migration during the early 1900s, around the time of World War I, from the lens of her great-grandfather. It strings together spirituals and works songs that reflect Sergeant McCauley’s route from Mississippi to the west, then up north, and eventually back to Georgia. The special timbral effects of this mix of strings and winds transforms the stories and their reflections into music. Montgomery carries on the storytelling tradition passed on by her mother, playwright, actor, and teacher Robbie McCauley.
Imani Winds Chamber Music (IWCMF) festival is an intense summer program devoted to performance excellence and career development. After years of giving masterclasses and lectures around the country, the group desired to create something more expansive to teach and mentor students of chamber music.
This desire, turned reality has shaped the IWCMF into a highly successful New York City summer institute and festival.
During a 10 day period, Imani Winds, in addition to guest artists and leaders in the world of chamber music, work with the participants who are engaged in rigorous workshops, coaching sessions, lectures, and rehearsals. The result is a congenial and free exchange of information, expertise, and critique. Participants are grouped together and also work with a composer, as apart of the Emerging Composers Program (ECP), to refine a new composition, which is debuted during the festival’s culminating concerts.
Mannes School of Music at The New School is the official partner of the IWCMF, where Imani Winds is Ensemble-in-Residence.
Please write to info@imaniwindsfestival.com, with questions or comments specifically for the festival.
SUPPORT THE IWCMF SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Over half of the Festival participants receive generous scholarships funded through donations and grants. Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted and go DIRECTLY toward “in-need” tuition and housing costs.
Scholarships are granted based on a rigorous examination of an applicants' financial need, the merit of their audition performance and their teacher's recommendation.
Tax-deductible contributions can be made through our non-profit, 501(c)3, Imani Winds Foundation, Inc. online:
Or by personal check made payable to Imani Winds Foundation, Inc. and sent to:
Imani Winds Foundation
123 West 128th St Apt. 1
New York, NY 10027
PHENOMENAL WOMEN by Valerie Coleman, is a concerto for Wind Quintet and Chamber Orchestra to be premiered by Imani Winds and American Composers Orchestra on November 2nd, 2018. Inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem and book, PHENOMENAL WOMAN is intended to shout an empowered tone as the arc of the multi-movement work leaps through storied moments of adversity and achievement.
NOTES BY THE COMPOSER
Musical motifs are drawn from Angelou's sensuous and peppery verses, carrying emboldened harmonies and improvisational-stylized riffs evolving into virtuoso exchanges between forces. Each movement contains an overview of pivotal moments and characteristics found within the lives of each 'shero', that serve as catalysts from which main movements emerge and develop. The spirit and process behind the movements are informed by the efforts of phenomenal women who have energized me through their transcendental efforts: the struggles that poet Maya Angelou faced her life and her impact in the lives of women globally, how Olympic Gold medalist Boxer Claressa Shields grew up in Flint, a town ravaged by contaminated water, athlete Serena Williams' ongoing perseverances on the tennis court to become one the greatest athletes of all time, Michelle Obama's grace under pressure as the First Lady, mom and advocate for families and children, and the courage of immigrant mothers who have risked their lives to enter the United States and are fighting to reclaim their children. The segments are written with the capabilities and personalities of each Imani Winds member in mind. Phenomenal Woman is about celebrating women's efforts to overcome adversity, no matter who and where you are.
Concerto for Wind Quintet and Chamber Orchestra (strings, ww, br, perc, pno, hp)
For booking & an excerpted archival recording, contact Bill Capone at Arts Management Group.
The Legacy Commissioning Project (LCP) began over a decade ago, as an ambitious endeavor to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Imani Winds. The project's’ original mission was to commission 10 composers of color to create works for the wind quintet that would expand the language of contemporary classical music while representing various cultures through non-traditional voices. Now over 10 years later, as the group celebrates its 24th season, the LCP continues to thrive, and grow through the continuous creation of new works for the wind quintet, in collaboration with so many supportive presenters and commissioners.
The literature for wind quintet is very limiting by nature. Through the LCP, Imani Winds set out to commission a wide array of composers to create new music that would change the scope of the repertoire for years to come. These established and emerging composers of diverse musical backgrounds originate from different points of the globe bringing an incredible range of sounds and experiences.
SUPPORT THE LEGACY COMMISSIONING PROJECT
Support for commissions come from a variety of sources including grants, presenting organizations, private donations and from Imani Winds itself. We invite friends, fans and lovers of new music to make a donation to the Legacy Commissioning & Recording Project.
Your donations (of any amount) will go towards the ongoing general expenses of the project. Expenses include, but are not limited to: composer commissioning fee, copying costs, grant-writer fees, rehearsal space costs, composer transportation, promotional costs, audio/video recording costs.
Tax-deductible contributions can be made through our non-profit, 501(c)3, Imani Winds Foundation, Inc. online:
Or by personal check made payable to Imani Winds Foundation, Inc. and sent to:
Imani Winds Foundation
123 West 128th St Apt. 1
New York, NY 10027
Jeff Scott / Immigrant Songs
David Garner / Mr. Baptiste
October 1, 2023 @ Duke Performances / Durham, NC
Carlos Simon / Giants
May 14, 2023 @ Shriver Concert Hall Series / Baltimore, MD
Billy Taylor arr. Mark Dover / I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
Mary Lou Williams arr. Helen Sung / St. Martin de Porres
April 25, 2023 @ Carnegie Hall / New York, NY
Andy Akiho / BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging
October 26, 2022 @ Merkin Hall / New York, NY
Miguel del Aguila / Blindfold Music
Damien Geter / I Said What I Said
Yuan-Chen Li / A Railroad to Dreams
April 28, 29 & May 1, 2022 @ Chamber Music NW, Oregon Bach Festival, Anima Mundi Productions / Portland, Eugene, Ashland, OR
Jeff Scott / Fallen Petals of Forgotten Flowers
April 9, 2022 @ The Detroit Chamber Music Society / Detroit, MI
Nathalie Joachim / Seen
March 22, 2021@ Phillips Collection / Washington, D.C.
Gabriel Fauré arr. Jeff Scott / Pavane
Summer 2020 @ Virtual / Everywhere
Ledah Finck / Fractured Fossil
October 4, 2019 @ University of MD / College Park, MD
Jessie Montgomery / Sargeant McCauley (wind quintet + string quartet)
September 28, 2019 @ Penn State University / State College, PA
James Primosch / Four Sketches
February 15, 2019 @ Philadelphia Chamber Music Society / Philadelphia, PA
Valerie Coleman / Phenomenal Women, Concerto for Wind Quintet
November 2, 2018 @ American Composers Orchestra, Carnegie Hall / New York, NY
J.P. Redmond / 9X9: Nine Pieces for Nonet (wind quintet + sax quartet)
July 2, 2018 @ Chamber Music Northwest / Portland, OR
Maria Kaoutzani / Speak, Mind
Kevin Kay / Quiver
Ted Moore / feedback vii: speak, contain
Alison Yun-Fei Jiang / On Light and Birds
May 12, 2018 @ University of Chicago / Chicago, IL
Henry Threadgill / 2.6 Pentadactyl
May 11, 2018 @ University of Chicago / Chicago, IL
Aaron Helgson / Calls of close and away
February 11, 2018 @ University of Chicago / Chicago, IL
Valerie Coleman / Bronzeville
May 3, 2017 @ University of Chicago, Gwendolyn Brooks' Centennial celebration / Chicago, IL
Courtney Bryan / Blooming
May 3, 2017 @ University of Chicago, Gwendolyn Brooks' Centennial celebration / Chicago, IL
Reena Esmail / The Light is the Same
March 15, 2017 @ The Lied Center, University of KS / Lawrence, KS
Gustav Holst Arr. Jonathan Russell / The Planets
March 15, 2017 @ The Lied Center, University of KS / Lawrence, KS
Fred Rzewski / Sometimes
October 29, 2015 @ Duke Performances / Durham, NC
Mohammed Fairouz / Deep Rivers (wind quintet + baritone)
March 7, 2015 @ ClefWorks / Montgomery, AL
Rimsky-Korsakov Arr. Jonathan Russell / Scheherazade
January 30, 2015 @ Phillips Academy / Andover, MA
Jeff Scott / Passion for Bach & Coltrane (wwq, sq, jazz trio, orator)
November 1, 2014 @ JCCC Performing Arts Series / Overland Park, KS
Vijay Iyer / Bruits (wind quintet + piano)
April 10, 2014 @ La Musica Festival / Sarasota, FL
Jason Moran /Jump Cut Rose (wind quintet + piano)
April 3, 2014 @ Dartmouth University / Hanover, NH
Mohammed Fairouz /Jebel Lebnan
March 21, 2012 @ Montgomery County Community College / Blue Bell, PA
Danilo Perez / Travesias Panamenas
April 4, 2011 @ Tuesday Musical Club / Akron, OH
Simon Shaheen / Zafir
February 6, 2011 @ Peak Performances, Montclair State University / Montclair, NJ
Simon Shaheen arr. Jeff Scott / Dance Mediterranea
February 6, 2011 @ Peak Performances, Montclair State University / Montclair, NJ
Igor Stravinsky Arr. Jonathan Russell / The Rite of Spring
March 23, 2010 @ The Utsey Chamber Music Series / Clemon, SC
Stefon Harris / Anatomy of a Box (A Sonic Painting in Wood, Metal and Wind) / Featuring Stefon Harris, vibraphone and marimba
September 25, 2009 @ University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Daniel Bernard Roumain / Five Chairs and One Table
March 8, 2009 @ Carnegie Hall HONORS! Festival (Curated by Jessye Norman) / New York, NY
Jason Moran / Cane
October 24, 2008 @ Kimmel Center / Philadelphia, PA
Roberto Sierra / Concierto de Camara (wind quintet + string quartet)
July 21, 2008 @ Chamber Music Northwest / Portland, OR
Alvin Singleton / Through it All
February 8, 2008 @ Spivey Hall / Morrow, GA
Wayne Shorter / Terra Incognita
August 16, 2006 @ La Jolla Music Society / La Jolla, CA
Paquito D’Rivera / Kites
March 1, 2005 @ Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center / New York, NY
Fred Ho / Josephine Baker’s Angels from the Rainbow
2004 @ Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center / New York, NY
Co-Commissioned by Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS and The Festival of Art and Ideas, New Haven, CT
"PASSION" by Jeff Scott is a work for wind quintet, string quartet, piano, double bass, percussion and orator. It was inspired by the poetry of A. B. Spellman, from his book of poems “Things I Must Have Known”, (c) 2008 Coffee House Press. The poetry speaks to the musical mastery of J.S. Bach, John Coltrane and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, as well as religion and mortality.
NOTES BY THE COMPOSER
I have long desired to set poetry to music and was particularly drawn to that of A.B. Spellman because of his strong references to both jazz and classical music as well as the question of faith. The tradition of Passions or musical settings of the Gospel narratives dates to the 4th Century. Bach wrote several though only two have survived. Here the premise of the Passion is explored rather than the actual Biblical accounts. Orated poems in lieu of the intoned Gospel. Bach, Coltrane, Rubalcaba and Spellman in lieu of the traditional Biblical characters.
Though the work is original, it is anchored by this poetry with reference to two significant works by Bach and Coltrane, The Goldberg Variations and A Love Supreme, works written at the pinnacle of their maturation. “Passion” explores the influence of spirituality on the art of these masters and asks the inevitable question, what if JS Bach and John Coltrane might chance to meet? It challenges the performer and listener to be comfortable with the seemingly polar opposites of the musical spectrum presented as equals.
“Passion” is a 7 movement work at minimum 60 minutes in length and maximum 75 minutes.
Pianist-composer Edward Simon’s newest large-scale work is House of Numbers, a 40-minute suite in four movements that explores not only the cross-cultural resonance of numerology but also the exponential musical possibilities that arise when jazz and classical artists combine. In House of Numbers, Simon draws on musical traditions from Europe, Africa, North America and South America, blending composed structures with sections for improvisation. Simon’s own jazz quartet, Afinidad, together with award-winning classical ensemble Imani Winds, gave the premiere performance of House of Numbers at Faye Spanos Concert Hall, University of the Pacific on September 9, 2016. The piece, a commission from Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works program, funded by the Doris Duke Foundation, brings together the distinct and often exclusive worlds of jazz and classical music, challenging chamber musicians to stretch their improvising skills, while inviting jazz artists into the formal structures of classical music. The numbers 3, 4, 5 and 7 – and their cultural and musical implications – form the basis of the new piece, with one movement in the suite devoted to each; the movements explore the formal and emotional possibilities generated by a given number. The composer explains: “The number 3, for instance, can suggest triple meters, such as 3/4, 6/4 or 6/8, which in turn can suggest certain grooves, particularly in the music of South America. It can also point to the use of triads and three-bar phrases. Above all, the number 3 points to the even distribution of forces into three equal parts, which suggests balance – an ideal in nature and life.”
In performance, Afinidad and Imani Winds represent the jazz and classical worlds, respectively, fulfilling Simon’s goal of integrating orchestral instruments into a jazz setting. Afinidad – featuring Simon on piano alongside saxophonist David Binney, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade – is a world-class band of versatile, empathetic jazz improvisers. Reviewing Afinidad’s Latin-inflected music-making, All About Jazz described the sound as “wonderful, accessible and deep.” About his bandmates, Simon remarks: “Their musicality, openness and breadth give me the greatest freedom as a composer. It’s our artistic bond of trust, built over many years, that underpins and encourages my explorations in House of Numbers.”
Simon chose Imani Winds as partners for their “adventurous spirit and history of cross-genre collaborations with the likes of Wayne Shorter, Jason Moran and Danilo Perez,” he says. “They’re not just a classical repertory group – they’re interested in exploring all sorts of genres and ethnic traditions. Imani Winds also has a distinctive sound, with dynamic ensemble playing and an ability to dive into improvisation, which is rare among classical musicians.” Minnesota Public Radio has praised the group: “The Grammy-nominated Imani Winds bring a full-color spectrum to their music-making… creating a flavorful gumbo that is stylish and joy-filled.”
Beyond his own extensive background in jazz and Latin music, Simon has an affinity for the Western classical tradition, from J.S. Bach (whose music incorporates aspects of numerology) to contemporary minimalist composers, the latter for their way of expanding a simple idea to its fullest realization. “In my compositions, I aim to develop a sound that strikes a balance between the structural clarity of classical music and the fluid, moment-to-moment interaction of jazz,” he says. “Aesthetically, I’m concerned with directness and economy, striving to convey the essence of the message I wish to communicate by making every note count – just as every word counts in a good story.”
The process involved in House of Numbers – drawing upon source material from four continents and examining the resonance of numbers among diverse cultures – speaks to Simon’s own experience as an immigrant to the U.S. from Venezuela, as well as the challenges of identity and adaptation faced by all multicultural individuals. By delving into ethnic rhythms, jazz harmony and improvisation organized around each number that he explores, Simon endeavors in House of Numbers to convey the tale that numbers tell around the world.
Now accepting bookings for performances. Please send your inquiries to:
Hans Wendl
Hans Wendl Produktion
Tel. (510) 848-3864
artists@hanswendl.com
The Zafir Project is centered around the commissioned piece, entitled Zafir, by the Palestinian oud player, Simon Shaheen.
The Zafir Project is a sonic journey through the collaboration of Imani Winds and Simon Shaheen. There is discovery and breakthroughs; unearthing sounds and creating possibilities on the wind instruments that were not thought possible. Shaheen embodies the very mission that Imani Winds live by ~ recognizing his own heritage for inspiration, creating a legacy of original, ground-breaking work while always forging ahead and embracing many different styles in the process.
The micro tonal sounds of the Middle East make up this program, which is an aural and visual excursion to another place.
This project is available for bookings. Please contact Imani Winds with questions.
Beginning in 2007, we had the amazing opportunity to tour with the Wayne Shorter Quartet, featuring Brian Blade (drums), John Patitucci (bass), and Danilo Perez (piano) and Wayne Shorter (saxophones).
The various tours consisted of stops at some of the great jazz festivals of the world, including those in Montreal, Canada; Vienne & Paris, France; Copenhagen, Denmark ; Rotterdam, The Netherlands…just to name a few.
We were also honored to be apart of Wayne's 75th birthday celebrations with concerts at Carnegie Hall (NYC) and Disney Hall (LA) as well as his 80th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl.
The genesis of this collaboration started with Wayne writing Terra Incognita, for us, which is the title track of an album released in 2011. Also, the collaboration led to the commissioning of Danilo Perez, through our Legacy Commissioning Project.
We are featured on the Wayne Shorter’s Quartet critically acclaimed release, Without A Net.
Performing with this icon remains one of the great musical and life experiences of our careers and we hope to again work with these wonderful artists.
In 2006, Imani Winds celebrated the centennial of the great Josephine Baker's birth, through a multi-media production including singer, dancer, percussionist, and film. This project toured all over the country featuring the song stylists Rene Marie and later, Maria Howell.
The entire score to the show was written and/or arranged by our own Valerie Coleman and Jeff Scott.
The project culminated with the recording of the soundtrack, released in 2007, also entitled Josephine Bake: A Life of Le Jazz Hot!.
"Le Jazz Hot" has limited availability, please contact Imani Winds to inquiry about booking.