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Friday, February 15, 2013 • 7:30 p.m. Recital Hall $15 general/ $12 EIU Employees & Seniors (62+) / $7 Students

More than North America’s premiere wind quintet, the Grammy-nominated Imani Winds has established itself as one of the most successful chamber music ensembles in the United States.

Imani Winds actively seeks to engage new music and new voices into the modern classical idiom -- from Mendelssohn, Jean Françaix, György Ligeti and Luciano Berio to Astor Piazzolla, Elliott Carter, John Harbison and Mohammed Fairouz; and to the unexpected ranks of Paquito D’Rivera and Wayne Shorter.

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, and BBC’s The World, as well as frequent coverage in major music magazines and newspapers including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Their excellence and influences have been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2007 ASCAP Award and the 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 its tremendous musical abilities and innovative programming.

The Imani Winds is underwritten with generous support from the EIU Classical Music Series Endowment Fund.