Imani Winds plays Impromptu Concert performance at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on March 26
Highly-regarded chamber music ensemble Imani Winds will visit Key West for an Impromptu Concert performance at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 26, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 401 Duval St.
A quintet of skilled and spirited musicians, Imani Winds has established itself as one of the most successful chamber music ensembles in the United States, performing works from the classical tradition to contemporary compositions and jazz.
In addition to the group’s performances in the nation’s major concert halls, Imani has traveled internationally to China, Singapore, Brazil and throughout Europe.
In 2015 they debuted at the Paris Jazz Festival and the Huntington Estate Festival in Australia. The New York-based group is dedicated to promoting and expanding repertoire from the black cultural context.
Flutist Valerie Coleman is the founder of Imani Winds as well as its resident composer. By the age of 14 she had written three symphonies and won several local and state competitions in her home state of Kentucky. She wrote “Umoja” which became the Imani’s signature piece now listed as one of the “Top 101 Great American Works” by Chamber Music America.
Toyin Spellman-Diaz has built a reputation as a world-class oboist having performed in the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony and the Kennedy Center where the Washington Post described her as a musician who performs with a “smooth, controlled tone and excellent technique.”
Praised by Opera News for his “exemplary clarinet playing,” Mark Dover has a vast array of musical experiences establishing him as one of the most diverse clarinetists of his generation. Originally from Ann Arbor, Mark received his Bachelor of Music from the University Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance and his Masters of Music from Manhattan School of Music.
A native of Queens, N.Y., hornist/composer Jeff Scott began playing the French horn at age 14 after which the talented youngster was given opportunities to receive lessons during his high school years followed by a scholarship award to attend the Brooklyn College Preparatory Division.
Bassoonist Monica Ellis, a native of Pittsburgh, was encouraged to experience the joy of making music at the age of four by her father, the late jazz saxophonist Clarence Oden. She began playing the clarinet, saxophone and piano but discovered her passion for the bassoon when she was introduced to the instrument in middle school.
At their Key West concert, the group will perform selections such as “Dance Mediterranea,” by Simon Shaheen, “The Planets,” by Gustav Holst, and “Terr Incognita,” by Wayne Shorter.
The audience is invited to attend a reception following the concert.
Tickets for the concert cost $20, and are available at www.keystix.com, or at the door on the afternoon of the event. Cash, checks, or credit/debit cards accepted. Students admitted free. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 305-296-1520, or visit www.keywestimpromptu.org