New IWM Album Release:
Path of Light
Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington, flute
Path of Light is a flute-centered album that amplifies the voices of female composers for whom storytelling is a primary musical language. Conceived during the uncertainty of the 2020 shutdown, the project emerged from a commission with cellist-composer Gretchen Yanover and grew into a larger curated vision: to create a recorded space where musical narrative, social reflection, and imaginative listening take center stage.
At the heart of the album is Yanover’s Tasting the Night (flute, cello, and narrator), inspired by Philadelphia author Kara Rutledge Durant’s children’s book Jaro and Frog. The work explores differing yet equally valuable perspectives through the relationship of a frog and a giraffe, offering themes of empathy, social justice, and shared humanity. This collaboration revealed a powerful artistic synergy between composer, author, and performer—one that ultimately shaped the album’s identity.
While many works in the classical canon are inspired by story or text, few recordings intentionally curate pieces by composers who place narrative at the core of their compositional practice. Soundscapes addresses this gap by pairing works that invite listeners into immersive, story-driven musical worlds, without prescribing a single aesthetic or theme.
BeLonging
Imani Winds x Andy Akiho
Introducing “BeLonging”, the sweeping new collaboration from 5X GRAMMY-nominated composer and steel pannist Andy Akiho and 2024 GRAMMY-winner Imani Winds. Inspired by the sounds and protests of immigrants held at a Brooklyn detention center, the album features a series of highly choreographed movements for wind quintet and steel pan that speak to the universality of humanity, even — especially — when that humanity is bound. Originally workshopped at Rikers Island, this message is carried by the captivating performances of both the quintet and composer, as well as their own spoken words.
BeLonging is out now on Aki Rhythm Press, executive produced by IWM. Imani Winds commissioned the original work “BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging”.
Video Release: Passion for Bach and Coltrane
Imani Winds, Harlem Quartet, Neal Smith, Alex Brown, and Edward Perez, and poet A.B. Spellman came together to record Jeff Scott's concert-length oratorio Passion for Bach and Coltrane. The concert film is available now, released on Good Friday, March 29th, 2024. Watch the GRAMMY-award winning full-length concert video now streaming on Vimeo!
Imani Winds Awarded Grammy for Best Classical Compendium
