In 2019, the internationally acclaimed woodwind quintet Imani Winds incorporated as the non-profit Imani Winds Foundation, more robustly supporting the initiatives that are at the core of what the ensemble does. Through this work, a new idea and question emerged. How can the Foundation not only assist Imani Winds, but also help other talented artists, especially artists of color, tell the stories they wish to tell in their own unique way?
A new branch of the organization was formed: Imani Winds Media (IWM). IWM is not only the home of Imani Winds’ creative outputs, but it also seeks out, advises, and mentors musicians of color and other underrepresented demographics in and around classical music who want to create recordings from scratch, release existing recordings, develop podcasts, music videos and the like. IWM utilizes the collective expertise of the members of Imani Winds itself, and others in the field to bring help bring a venture from the idea phase to the finished product.
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR DREAM PROJECT!
MEET THE TEAM
Monica Ellis is a GRAMMY® Award-winning, four-time nominated bassoonist and founding member of the acclaimed wind quintet Imani Winds. For nearly three decades, the ensemble has captivated audiences with dynamic performances, bold programming, new commissions, and educational outreach.
Growing up, she studied with Mark Pancerev of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and later with George Sakakeeny at Oberlin Conservatory (BM) and Frank Morelli at The Juilliard School (MM) and Manhattan School of Music (PS).
Passionate about entrepreneurship and representation in the arts, Monica teaches at the Curtis Institute of Music and Manhattan School of Music. She is also the co-artistic and executive director of Imani Winds and its Chamber Music Festival and treasurer of the Imani Winds Foundation.
The daughter of a jazz saxophonist and a fashion-forward mother, Monica was raised in a household full of creativity, ambition, and style. She is a Fox Bassoon Artist, performing exclusively on a Model 201.
Monica Ellis
Co-Artistic and Administrative Director
Brandon Patrick George, hailed as a “knockout musician with a gorgeous sound” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, is a leading flute soloist and Grammy® Award-winning chamber musician whose repertoire extends from the Baroque era to today. He is the flutist of Imani Winds and has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta and Baltimore Symphonies, American Composers Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among others.
Brandon’s solo performances include appearances at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Tippet Rise. In September 2023, his latest album, Twofold, was released on In a Circle Records. Mr. George’s debut solo album, released in 2020 on Haenssler Classics. He was featured in an article inThe New York Times which described the album as “a program that showcases the flute in all its wit, warmth and brilliance."
Brandon has long been active in the fields of music curation and production. Fresh out of conservatory, he worked as a production assistant and programmer for WQXR, where he returned as part of the inaugural class of WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab. Most notably he was an assistant producer for the Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood: A Musical Journey Into the Life of Martin Luther King.
Raised by a single mother in Dayton, OH, Brandon is the proud product of public arts education. Brandon is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the Manhattan School of Music. He serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Brandon Patrick George
Co-Artistic Director
GRAMMY® Award-winning clarinetist Mark Dover is a versatile artist whose work spans classical, jazz, and improvised music. Since 2016, he has been the clarinetist of Imani Winds, earning a 2024 GRAMMY® Award as performer and producer for Passion for Bach and Coltrane. His debut recording with the ensemble, Bruits, received a 2022 GRAMMY® nomination. Mark is also a member of yMusic and Manhattan Chamber Players and has performed as a soloist with major orchestras and at leading venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Elbphilharmonie. An active educator, he serves on the faculties of the Curtis Institute of Music, Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, and Queens College, CUNY. Mark is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren Artist and lives in New York City.
Mark Dover
Technical Director, Producer
