© 2007 Imani Winds		Valerie Coleman  •  Toyin Spellman-Diaz  •   Mariam Adam  •   Jeff Scott  •   Monica Ellis A native of Kentucky, flutist and composer Valerie Coleman began her music studies at the age of eleven and by the age of fourteen, had written three symphonies and won several local and state competitions. Coleman is the two-time laureate of the Young Artist Competition at Boston University where she also received the "Woodwind Award", was recipient of the Aspen Music Festival Wombwell Kentucky Award, and inaugural recipient of the Michelle E. Sahm Memorial Award at the Tanglewood Festival. As a rising voice in the flute world, Ms. Coleman has been the understudy for Eugenia Zukerman at Lincoln Center, featured soloist in the Mannes 2000 Bach Festival, and was recently showcased on the New York classical radio station WQXR. Valerie Coleman is not only the founder of Imani Winds, but also the resident composer under the name "V Coleman", giving Imani Winds their signature piece Umoja. In addition to composing several song cycles, A Kwanzaa Songbook for Children, and sonatas for various instruments, V Coleman has a full works list for chamber music. Recently, the premier of her Afro-Cuban Concerto for Wind Quintet and Orchestra at Carnegie Hall received glowing feedback. New York Concert Review calls the Concerts "a welcome addition to wind quintet literature, full of fresh sound." Valerie Coleman is currently a faculty member of the Juilliard School of Music Advancement Program and The Interschool Orchestras of New York. She received a Double Bachelor of Music degree in Theory/Composition and Flute Performance from Boston University and a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from the Mannes College of Music. More information about composer VCOLEMAN and her compositions is available in PDF file format. Please CLICK HERE to download the PDF file. Please also visit the VCOLEMAN website at www.vcoleman.com. top of page Toyin Spellman-Diaz is swiftly building a reputation as a world-class oboist. As an orchestral musician, she has performed in the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Orchestra of St. Lukes and has worked with such conductors as Kurt Masur, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Christoph Eschenbach, and Mstislav Rostropovitch. As an educator, she has written two music-telling performances pieces for Imani Winds, a performance practice that incorporates music into the telling of a story by using the instruments as props and as integral parts of the story-telling process. Ms. Spellman-Diaz was acclaimed as a "standout oboist with smooth, controlled tone and excellent technique" in the Washington Post when she performed the Goosens Oboe Concerto at the Kennedy Center. She has also performed concerti with Chicago Civic Orchestra, Manhattan Virtuosi and the Antara Ensemble. She attended the Oberlin Conservatory where she achieved her Bachelor of Music degree, and received her Masters and Professional Studies degrees from Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Spellman-Diaz has participated in master classes of Elaine Douvas, and Richard Woodhams and has studied with Joe Robinson, James Caldwell, Joe Turner, and Alex Klein. She is currently on faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, Precollege Division. top of page Mariam Adam, a native of Monterey, California has become an internationally distinguished clarinetist and chamber musician. Chosen to be one of the last students of legendary clarinetist, Rosario Mazzeo, she developed a colorful career on the west coast appearing with the Sacramento Symphony, Monterey County Symphony and several others while still an undergraduate. She participated with the Eastman Music Summer Festival, toured with various jazz ensembles, sometimes as the drummer, in Japan and North America and received such awards such as the Hans Wildau Young Musicians Award, Sacramento Concerto Competition Winner, AFS Scholar, Bank of America Artists Scholar before moving to the east coast for graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She has since performed with Chamber Music Lincoln Center, Prussia Cove Festival in England, 92nd St. Y, Rockport Music Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, La Jolla Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest as well as with Paquito D'Rivera and David Shifrin. As a founding member of the internationally acclaimed, TransAtlantic Ensemble (Clar, Vn, Pno) she has performed through Europe and the east coast performing a wide range of music including that of Imani Winds' Jeff Scott and Valerie Coleman. She has also been invited to give solo recitals in Spain, Geneva, London and continues to work with several pianists from different regions celebrating music of their native countries. top of page A native of Queens, NY, Jeff Scott started the French horn at age 14, receiving a scholarship to go to the Brooklyn College Preparatory Division. His greatest influence however, came from his first teacher, Carolyn Clark, who taught the young Mr. Scott for free, giving him the opportunity to study music when resources were not available. He received his Bachelor's degree from Manhattan School of Music, and Master's Degree from SUNY at Stony Brook. During those years Mr. Scott studied with Jerome Ashby, David Jolley, Scott Brubaker and William Purvis. It was during his collegiate studies that Mr. Scott learned wind quintet repertoire through intense coaching with the late Samuel Baron and other members of the New York Wind Quintet. As the French Hornist for the Mercury Brass Quintet, Mr. Scott has given many workshops and performances under the auspices of Arts Genesis, Young Audiences of New York, and the Midori Foundation. Mr. Scott is also the co-founder of the jazz band "The New Jazz Resolution". Mr. Scott has been a member of "The Lion King" Orchestra on Broadway since 1997, and has performed in other Broadway shows such as, "On the Town" and "Showboat". Mr. Scott also enjoys an active work as a studio musician. He can be hear on many movie soundtracks including Spike Lee's Clockers, featuring music by Terrence Blanchard, and on recordings with notable artists such as, Chico O'Farill, Robin Eubanks, Freddy Cole, and Jimmy Heath amongst others. Additionally, he has toured with artists such as Barbra Streisand and Luther Vandross and is a member of the Alvin Ailey and Dance Theater of Harlem Orchestras. Mr. Scott's arranging and composing credits are many, and include scoring the off-Broadway production of "Becoming Something", The Canada Lee Story, and many arrangements and original works for Wind and Brass Quintet, Horn Quartet, and Jazz Ensembles. Mr. Scott was recently appointed as Horn faculty of the music department at Montclair State University, in Montclair New Jersey. top of page Monica Ellis, bassoonist, is a native of Pittsburgh and began her musical studies at the age of 4 with her father, who was a jazz saxophonist. The New York Concert Review states, "Truly it was the excellent Monica Ellis providing deceptively graceful agility whose musical feet were as strong roots to the tree." Ms. Ellis is active in the New York freelance community and has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Windscape, New Haven Orchestra, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre Orchestra, Spoleto-Italy Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center, just to name a few. Ms. Ellis received her Bachelor of Music Degree from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music studying with George Sakakeeny. While there she was twice a member of the Panama Project; a program that allows students to go to Panama to teach young people and perform across the country. She received her Master of Music Degree from The Juilliard School and toured Japan and South Korea, with the Juilliard Orchestra. She also attended Manhattan School of Music in the Professional Studies, Orchestral Performance Program, studying with Frank Morelli at both institutions. She is currently on the faculty of Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division, Brooklyn College School of Music, and Juilliard's Music Advancement Program, a Saturday music school for talented African-American and Latino children. top of page