Imani Winds Quintet appears at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts November 1

Imani Winds Quintet appears at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts November 1

"...what's striking about Imani is that each player is polished and virtuosic." Peter Dobrin, Philadelphia Inquirer

Imani Winds has established itself as more than a wind quintet; it is enriching the traditional wind quintet repertoire while meaningfully bridging European, American, African and Latin American traditions. This stellar quintet will appear at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. There will be a pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7-7:40 p.m. with journalist, Robert Sherman.

Imani Winds' second CD release, "The Classical Underground," was nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Classical Crossover Album" and the title tells a lot about the surprises these talented musicians have in store for audiences.

The wide range of programs offered by Imani Winds demonstrates their mission to expand the wind quintet repertoire and diversify sources of new music. From Mendelssohn, Jean Françaix, György Ligeti, and Luciano Berio, to Astor Piazzolla, Elliott Carter and John Harbison; to the unexpected ranks of Paquito D'Rivera and Wayne Shorter, Imani Winds actively seeks to engage new music and new voices into the modern classical idiom. Imani members Valerie Coleman, flutist, and Jeff Scott, who plays french horn, both regularly contribute compositions and arrangements to the ensemble's expanding repertoire, bringing new sounds and textures to the traditional instrumentation.

For this evening's program, Toyin Spellman-Diaz, oboist, plays her own composition, "Call," a piece she wrote, as she describes it, "out of great need…in order to open up a new channel of direct, personal communication with my colleagues of Imani Winds ... by becoming more intuitive, more flexible..."

The evening continues with a rich tapestry of diverse music including "Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet" by György Ligeti, "Speech and Canzone for Woodwind Quintet and CD" by V. Coleman, "Cane" by Jason Moran, "Terra Incognita" by Wayne Shorter and "Contrabajissimo" by Astor Piazzolla and arranged by Jeff Scott.

Tickets are $35 and are available online at fairfield.edu/quick or by calling the Box Office at (203) 254-4010. The toll free number is 1-877-ARTS-396.

Posted On: 10-24-2008 10:10 AM

Volume: 41 Number: 103