Imani Winds is a quintet established in 1997 with the aim of creating more diversity in the playing and composing of classical music. The group looks to bridge American, European, African and Latin American traditions in its chosen work, and also composes its own music. Imani Winds is comprised of co-founder, composer and flautist Valerie Coleman, Toyin Spellman-Diaz on oboe, french horn player and composer Jeff Scott, Monica Ellis on bassoon, and Mark Dover, one of the world's top classical and jazz clarinetists. The group is the University of Chicago's Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence, and runs a Legacy Commissioning Project, in which it commissions and premieres new works written by a variety of composers of diverse musical backgrounds. Imani Winds has produced eight commercial recordings, including its 2006 Grammy Award-nominated, The Classical Underground. Imani Winds will perform nine concerts around New Zealand between September 26 - October 12, at the invitation of Chamber Music New Zealand.