Imani Winds Performs on Shelter Island

Shelter Island Friends of Music (SIFM) presents Grammy-Award winning Imani Winds in “Black and Brown II: A Celebration of Composers of Color” on Saturday, April 6, at 6 p.m. at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. The quintet will play the music of Paquito D’Rivera, Valerie Colman, Carlos Simon, Billy Childs and others, including music especially written for and commissioned by Imani Winds.

Imani Winds won a 2024 Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium for their work on “Passion for Bach and Coltrane.” The quintet is composed of Brandon Patrick George (flute), Toyin Spellman-Diaz (oboe), Kevin Newton (French horn), Mark Dover (clarinet) and Monica Ellis (bassoon). Spellman-Diaz will be replaced by oboist Mekhi Gladden for this concert.

Imani Winds have performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center, as well as at Chamber Music Northwest, Chautauqua Institution and Banff Centre festivals. They have also performed throughout Asia, Brazil, Australia, England, New Zealand and Europe.

Members of the quintet are deeply committed to music education. Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival was launched in 2010, an annual summer program dedicated to career development and musicianship for preprofessional instrumentalists and composers. In 2019, the group extended its mission even further by creating the nonprofit organization, Imani Winds Foundation, to support, connect and continue the outreach and in 2021, the group was appointed as the first-ever Faculty Wind Quintet at Curtis Institute of Music. Its work is in the classical music section of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

This is the third concert of the SIFM’s 47th season, which will feature at least seven concerts. There is no admission fee, but donations are always appreciated. A reception with the musicians follows the concert.

Shelter Island Presbyterian Church is at 32 North Ferry Road on Shelter Island. Visit shelterislandfriendsofmusic.org for more information and other upcoming concerts.