Valerie Coleman

Valerie Coleman is an American composer and flutist as well as the creator of the wind quintet Imani Winds. Coleman is a distinguished artist of the century who was named Performance Today's 2020 Classical Woman of the year and was listed as “one of the Top 35 Women Composers” in the Washington Post. In 2019, Coleman's orchestral work, ''Umoja, Anthem for Unity,'' was commissioned and premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Coleman's ''Umoja'' is the first classical work by a living African American woman that the Philadelphia Orchestra has performed.

Coleman is known for her many contributions to wind chamber music and with Imani Winds, she released a number of studio albums with the group, one of which was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album in 2005.

A graduate of Mannes College of Music and taught by musicians such as Julius Baker, her compositions frequently incorporate diverse styles such as jazz with classical music and often incorporate political or social themes. Her piece ''Umoja'' in 2002 was listed as one of the "Top 101 Great American Works" by Chamber Music America. She is an alumna of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's CMS Two Fellowship program, and a laureate of the Concert Artists Guild competition. Provided by Wikipedia