Imani Winds bio

Celebrating more than a quarter century of music making, the twice Grammy-nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through its dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations, and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

The ensemble’s repertoire embraces traditional chamber music and newly commissioned works from voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live.

Recent projects include a Jessie Montgomery composition inspired by her great-grandfather’s migration from the American South to the North, socially conscious music by Andy Akiho that reflects on mass incarceration, and a work by Carlos Simon celebrating iconic figures in the African American community.

Twenty-six seasons of full-time touring has brought Imani Winds to virtually every major chamber music series, performing arts center, and summer festival in the US. The ensemble regularly curates university residencies that include performances and master classes for thousands of students across the country. Its international presence includes concerts throughout Asia and Europe, and in Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

Appointed in 2021 as the Curtis Institute of Music’s first-ever faculty wind quintet, Imani Winds’ commitment to education runs deep. Launched in 2010, the highly successful Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival is an annual summer institute devoted to musical excellence and career development for pre-professional instrumentalists and composers.

In 2019, the group extended its mission even further by creating the Imani Winds Foundation, a nonprofit organization that exists to support, connect, and uplift its initiatives and more.

Imani Winds’ travels through the jazz world are highlighted by its multifaceted associations with luminary musicians and composers Wayne Shorter, Paquito D’Rivera, and Jason Moran. The ensemble’s ambitious project, Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot!, featured jazz songstress René Marie.

In 2021, Imani Winds released its ninth studio album, Bruits, which received a 2022 Grammy nomination for Best Chamber Music / Small Ensemble Performance. Its first nomination was in 2006 for The Classical Underground.

One of Imani Winds’ most humbling recognitions is a permanent presence in the classical music section of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.