In 2019, the internationally acclaimed woodwind quintet Imani Winds incorporated as the non-profit Imani Winds Foundation, initiating a shift in focus from solely a chamber music ensemble to a multifaceted organization that provides a platform for artists from all disciplines and backgrounds.
It became apparent that there is a gap of exclusivity with so-called “high art” and music in the stories that are told, the people who are telling them, and the audiences for which it is intended. In order for art to be relevant to the times in which we live, it has to re-examine itself from all of these facets. These needs call for a diversity of creators, performers, listeners, and stories.
Now, as the Imani Winds Foundation has been so successful in its support of Imani Winds’ activities, the Foundation itself is looking to support more talented artists, especially artists of color, to finance Imani Winds’ media projects, and to reach audience members beyond the scope of Imani Winds.
Imani Winds Foundation has launched a new branch of the organization: a media company called Imani Winds Media (IWM) which assists musicians of color in the creation of recordings, podcasts, and videos as well as be the producer and home of Imani Winds’ media.
IWM seeks out, advises, and mentors musicians of color in and around classical music who want to produce recordings, podcasts, and music videos. IWM connects them with producers and engineers who will record or film, edit, and finish their projects. All media produced will be exclusively owned by the artists themselves, with no share taken by the media company.
After the media is produced, IWM releases the recordings either in printed or digital format, and if necessary, connect them to a marketing or PR firm, and consult with the artists on how to best tie the project into their overall careers. The projects will then be housed on IWM’s website portal for sale or streaming for consumers.
Meet the Team
Jerrell Jackson
Administrative Director
Jerrell Jackson is a musician, writer, lecturer, and digital content strategist.
Jackson’s work primarily focuses on reformatting the presentation of classical music and developing new models for the classical music industry. He has served as the Marketing and Communications Manager for Chineke! Orchestra, the first majority Black and ethnically diverse professional orchestra in Europe. Previously, he was the Digital Content and Engagement Manager for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (PCMS) and the acclaimed chamber music festival, Marlboro Music. He has hosted pre-concert interviews with some of the industry’s leading musicians for PCMS and was a contributing writer for NYC’s classical radio station WQXR and Decca Records. He is currently the Administrative Director for Imani Winds Media (IWM) and serves on the Board of Directors for the youth orchestra, Philadelphia Sinfonia.
Toyin Spellman-Diaz
Assistant Administrative Director
Oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz earned her Bachelors of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her Master’s and Professional Studies degrees at the Manhattan School of Music. Her orchestral career includes performances with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Hailed by the Washington Post for her “smooth, controlled tone and excellent technique,” Toyin has performed concertos with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Manhattan Virtuosi, and with the Kennedy Center Youth Orchestra.
An original member of Imani Winds, Ms. Spellman-Diaz has built her career as a champion of contemporary chamber music. Along with her Imani Winds colleagues, she is devoted to discovering new and diverse musical voices and cultures to increase and enhance the woodwind quintet repertoire. Ms. Spellman-Diaz is president of the Imani Winds Foundation and the director of development for the organization.
Toyin is on faculty at New York University, Mannes School of Music, Montclair State University, and the Curtis Institute of Music, and is on the Board of Directors of American Composer's Orchestra.
Brandon Patrick George
Artistic 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.