REDEFINING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE TRADITIONAL WIND QUINTET REPERTOIRE!

IMANI WINDS

MCCULLOUGH THEATRE
MARCH 26, 2009 8:00pm
ONE NIGHT ONLY!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Imani Winds has established itself as more than a wind quintet. Since 1997, the Grammy nominated ensemble has taken a unique path, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, genre-blurring collaborations, and inspirational outreach programs. With two member composers and a deep commitment to commissioning new work, the group is enriching the traditional wind quintet repertoire while meaningfully bridging European, American, African and Latin American traditions and bringing new sounds and textures to traditional instrumentation. The ensemble will perform on March 26 at the University of Texas at Austin Performing Arts Center’s McCullough Theatre.

The group is in the midst of its Legacy Commissioning Project, an ambitious five-year endeavor launching Imani Winds into its second decade of music making. The ensemble is commissioning, premiering and touring ten new works for woodwind quintet written by established and emerging composers of various musical backgrounds. The select composers originate from different points of the globe bringing experience not only in classical music, but jazz, Middle Eastern, Latin, and harder to define sounds. The Legacy Project kicked off in 2008 with world premieres by Alvin Singleton and Roberto Sierra.

Imani Winds enjoys frequent national exposure in all forms of media, including two features on NPR’s All Things Considered, appearances on APM’s Saint Paul Sunday, NPR’s Performance Today and News and Notes with Ed Gordon, the Bob Edwards Show on XM Satellite Radio, BBC The World, as well as frequent coverage in major music magazines and newspapers.

Their excellence and influences have been recognized with numerous awards including the 2007 ASCAP Award, 2002 CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, as well as the CMA/WQXR Award for their debut and self-released CD Umoja. At the 2001 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Imani Winds was selected as the first-ever Educational Residency Ensemble, in recognition of their tremendous musical abilities and innovative programming.

The Austin program will be performed as follows:

VALERIE COLEMAN, flute
TOYIN SPELLMAN-DIAZ, oboe
MARIAM ADAM, clarinet
JEFF SCOTT, French horn
MONICA ELLIS, bassoon

Afro Blue Mongo Santamaria (1917-2003)
arr. VColeman (b. 1970)

Five Poems Karel Husa (b. 1921)
I. Walking Birds
II. Happy Bird
Interlude: Lamenting Bird…
III. …With a Dead Bird
IV. Fighting Birds
V. Bird Flying High Above

La Nouvelle Orleans Lalo Schifrin (b. 1932)

INTERMISSION

Ten pieces for wind quintet György Ligeti (1923-2006)
I. Molto sostenuto e calmo
II. Prestissimo minaccioso e burlesco
III. Lento
IV. Prestissimo leggiero e virtuoso
V. Presto staccatissimo e leggiero
VI. Presto staccatissimo e leggiero
VII. Vivo, energico
VIII. Allegro con delicatezza
IX. Sostenuto, stridente
X. Presto bizzarro e rubato

Suite: Portraits of Josephine VColeman
I. Ol’ St. Louis
II. Les Milandes
III. Paris 1925
IV. Thank You, Josephine (J’ai Deux Amours)

Libertango Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
arr. Jeff Scott (b. 1967)

CALENDAR LISTING:

Thursday, March 26, 2009, 8:00 pm – The University of Texas at Austin Performing Arts Center presents Imani Winds at the Performing Arts Center’s McCullough Theatre (2350 Robert Dedman Dr.). A map of the campus: http://www.utpac.org/visit/maps_directions. Tickets ($30.00/ $10 student tickets/ discounted tickets available for UT faculty & staff) are on sale now at the authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at www.utpac.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO.

PRESS CONTACT:
Gene Bartholomew
512.471.0632
gbartholomew@utpac.org

Download a PDF version of the Imani Winds press release.