Valerie Coleman is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

flutist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

as well as the creator of the

wind quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the i ...

Imani Winds Imani Winds is a Grammy Award-winning American wind quintet based in New York City, United States. The group was founded by flutist Valerie Coleman in 1997 and is known for its adventurous and diverse programming, which includes both establishe ...

. Coleman is a distinguished artist of the century who was named

Performance Today ''Performance Today'' is a classical music radio program, first aired in 1987 and hosted since 2000 by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations. ...

'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 The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

. 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 Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art 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 The Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album was awarded from 1999 to 2011. The award was discontinued from 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. In the present day, if a classical crossover release is a non-classical artist making ...

in 2005. A graduate of

Mannes College of Music The Mannes School of Music (), originally called the David Mannes Music School and later the Mannes Music School, Mannes College of Music, the Chatham Square Music School, and Mannes College: The New School for Music, is a Music school, music con ...

and taught by musicians such as Julius Baker, her compositions frequently incorporate diverse styles such as

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

with

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

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 Chamber Music America (CMA) is an American non-profit organization that provides small ensemble professionals with access to a variety of professional development, networking, and funding resources. CMA's regular initiatives include grants, awards, ...

. She is an alumna of the

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is an American organization dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music in New York City and around the world. It is the largest organization of its kind in the country for chamber m ...

's CMS Two Fellowship program, and a laureate of the

Concert Artists Guild The Concert Artists Guild is an American musical institution, based in New York City and established in 1951. It is dedicated to discovering and nurturing musical talent, and helping musicians start careers. It provides scholarships and grants, and ...

competition.

Early life and education

Valerie Coleman was born 3 September 1970 and raised in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, in the same West End

inner city The term inner city (also called the hood) has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Soc ...

neighborhood that boxer

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

grew up in. Her father died when she was nine, and her mother raised Coleman and her sisters as a single working mother. From early childhood, Coleman had a love for music and a great interest in playing the flute. She started her formal music education in fourth grade, at age eleven. During her early years as a young musician, Coleman was interested in composing music. She started writing symphonies as a hobby, using a portable organ that she had at her home. By age fourteen she had written three full-length symphonies and won several local and state competitions, as well as participating as a flutist in youth orchestra. She is a graduate of

Louisville Male High School Louisville Male Traditional High School is a public co-ed secondary school serving students in grades 9 through 12 in the southside of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It is part of the Jefferson County Public School District. History Ninth and Ch ...

. Coleman and all her sisters attended college, and she earned a double

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

theory A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

and flute performance from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. She then graduated with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in flute performance from

. Coleman studied flute with Julius Baker, Alan Weiss, Judith Mendenhall, Doriot Dwyer, and Mark Sparks, and composition with Martin Amlin and Randall Woolf.

Imani Winds

In 1996, while still a student, Coleman began planning a

ensemble. She chose the name

, Imani being the

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

word for faith, and sought African American

woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and Ree ...

players who might approach

from a similar cultural background. About her reasons for starting the ensemble: The group grew to five people, with Coleman on flute, Toyin Spellman-Diaz on

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

, Monica Ellis on

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

, Mariam Adam on

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

, and Jeff Scott on

french horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...

. From the beginning the ensemble focused on "championing composers that were underrepresented from the non-European side of contemporary music." The repertoire frequently involves music that is inspired by many different cultures including influences from the music of Africa, Latin America and North America. In 2001 the group won the

competition, and over the following years released five albums internationally on the

E1 Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

label (formerly known as Koch International Classics), with many of those tracks composed by Coleman herself. About their musicianship, the ''

New Orleans Times Picayune ''The Times-Picayune , The New Orleans Advocate'' (commonly called ''The Times-Picayune'' or the ''T-P'') is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ancestral publications of other names date back to January 25, 1837. The cu ...

'' stated, "As an ensemble, the Imani Winds cultivate the big, rich sound one associates with classical players -- and they also display the daring, respond in-the moment qualities one associates with a swinging jazz combo." The ensemble was named resident-artists of

, and has appeared in major concert halls throughout the United States. The ensemble has won awards from Artists International and the 2005

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

WQXR-FM WQXR-FM (105.9 FM) is an American non-commercial classical radio station, licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serving the North Jersey and New York City area. It is owned by the nonprofit organization New York Public Radio (NYPR), which also op ...

Award for Adventurous Programming, and were honored at the 2007 ASCAP Concert Music Awards.

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

named their album ''Terra Incognita'' one of the "5 Best American Contemporary Classical Albums Of 2010," saying "Imani Winds' members have earned a reputation for expanding the recorded wind-quintet repertoire, but in a way that's culturally significant." According to the ''Cleveland Classical'', "Imani Winds have carved a unique path into the world of classical chamber music for themselves through inventive programs, commissioning projects, and educational activities, and above all superb musicianship."

Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival (IWCMF)

In 2009 Coleman conceived and created the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, which is both an institute and chamber music series on the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

Campus in New York City. The festival attracts artists from the US and abroad. In 2012 composers were added to the roster through the Emerging Composers Program. It involved master classes with composers such as

Mohammed Fairouz Mohammed Fairouz (born November 1, 1985) is an American composer. He is one of the most frequently performed composers of his generation and has been described by Daniel J. Wakin of ''The New York Times'' as an "important new artistic voice". ...

and

Daniel Bernard Roumain Daniel Bernard Roumain (; known by his initials, DBR; born 1970) is a composer, performer, violinist, and band-leader, whose work combines classical music with jazz, hip-hop and rock. Composer In September 2010, ''Dancers, Dreamers, and Presiden ...

, and the panel of guest artists included Stefon Harris,

Paula Robison Paula Robison (born June 8, 1941) is a flute soloist and teacher. Early life and education Paula Robison was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the daughter of David V. and Naomi Robison, an actor. David Robison was a playwright and writer for film a ...

, Carol Wincenc, and Stanley Drucker.

Solo career

Coleman made her debut as a flutist and composer at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in 2004, and prior to that was the understudy for flutist Eugenia Zukerman at Lincoln Center. Coleman was also a featured soloist in the

's Mannes 2000 Bach Festival. She has had performances and premieres at

Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and Philanthropy, philanthropist whose donations assis ...

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

Chamber Music Northwest Chamber Music Northwest (CMNW) is an American non-profit organization in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. In addition to its annual Summer Festival, the organization also presents individual chamber ...

, and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Her compositions and performances receive regular play on classical radio stations in the United States, and she has been showcased on the New York classical radio station WQXR. She also appeared on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's ''

'', ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', and '' The Ed Gordon Show'';

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

's ''Soundcheck'', and MPR's ''

Saint Paul Sunday ''Saint Paul Sunday'' is a Peabody Award-winning weekly classical music radio program that aired from 1980 to 2007, with encore broadcasts airing through 2012. It was hosted by Bill McGlaughlin for its entire run. At its height, it was America ...

''. In April 2008 she was featured in ''Flutist Quarterly''. She has received commissions from the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra,

Brooklyn Philharmonic There have been several organisations referred to as the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The most recent one was the now-defunct Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, an American orchestra based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in existence f ...

, The National Flute Association, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, College Band Director's National Association, West Michigan Flute Association, and The Flute and Clarinet Duos Consortium. She has been a teacher for the

, has served on the faculty of the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

's Music Advancement Program and Interschool Orchestras of New York. She's given flute masterclasses at

SUNY Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase, commonly referred to as Purchase College or SUNY Purchase, is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. Established in 1967 by G ...

, Columbus State,

UMass Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the Ma ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca (town), New York, Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a Music school, conservatory of music. Ithaca College is known for its media-related programs and entertainment program ...

, Utah State, Norfolk State, and

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...

, She has also been a composer/flutist in residence with Young Audiences NYC, and completed a mentorship with the

. Coleman is on the advisory panel of the

National Flute Association The National Flute Association (NFA) is an organization of flute players with roughly 5,000 members from more than 50 countries. It is an association in the United States with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. The organization was founded in 1972 ...

Compositions

Coleman is the resident composer of Imani Winds, though the ensemble also incorporates the work of other members and composers. Coleman's style mixes modern orchestration with genres including

and

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

. She has added a number of works to the

flute repertory This is a list of notable compositions for the flute (particularly the Western concert flute). Flute alone * C. P. E. Bach: ** Sonata in A minor (1763) * J.S. Bach: ** Partita in A minor for solo flute ( 1718) * Luciano Berio: ** '' Sequenz ...

, also contributing to the literature for

, full

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

, and strings, many of which have been published by International Opus. As a flute player, Valerie Coleman has composed many works that have become a standard part of the flute repertoire. One of these pieces include ''Danza de la Mariposa''. This work is a tone poem written for solo flute and was inspired by the various types of butterflies that live across South America. Coleman also composed ''Amazonia,'' a piece for flute and piano. This piece begins by portraying the beauty of the Amazon rainforest. However, the music starts to portray darker themes throughout the composition, which represent the corrupting and destructive influence humans have on the Amazon rainforest. She often interposes music with the words of historical figures and poets, in some cases using manipulated speeches of people of diverse as

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...

A. Philip Randolph Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was an American labor unionist and civil rights activist. In 1925, he organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first successful African-American-led labor union. In the ...

and

Cesar Chavez Cesario Estrada Chavez (; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta and lesser known Gilbert Padilla, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), ...

. About her world premiere of ''Painted Lady'', a set of two songs for orchestra and soprano and her first commission, ''

The Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven an ...

'' said "The songs are luminous works, with a tangy but accessible harmonic language, graced with a humanizing sense of melodic line and a mildly exotic rhythmic lilt. They are the work of a major talent, and they should be recorded immediately." The songs used words by African American poet

Margaret Danner Margaret Danner (1915–1984) (Margaret Esse Danner, Margaret Danner Cunningham) was an American poet, editor and cultural activist known for her poetic imagery and her celebration of African heritage and cultural forms. Early life and Chicago y ...

. Her signature wind quintet piece ''Umoja'' (named for the Swahili word for "unity") in 2002 was listed as one of the "Top 101 Great American Works" by

. ''Umoja'' was originally composed for a women's choir in celebration of the first day of Kwanzaa. Since then, Coleman has arranged ''Umoja'' with a wide variety of instrumentation. This includes an arrangement for flute quartet, wind trio, brass quintet, and string quartet. Additionally, ''Umoja'' was arranged for orchestra and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2019. This marks the first time the Philadelphia Orchestra performed a work by a living African American female composer. ''Josephine Baker: A Life of le Jazz Hot'' in 2007 traced the life

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

, receiving a positive review in ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

''.

Academia

In 2018, Coleman was appointed as Assistant Professor of Performance, Chamber Music, and Entrepreneurship; and Director of the Chamber Music program at Frost School of Music, at the University of Miami (FL). In 2021, Coleman was appointed a Clara Mannes Fellow within the Flute Performance and Music Composition faculty at Mannes School of Music, at The New School in New York City. In 2024, Coleman was appointed to the composition department faculty effective in the 2024–25 academic year at the

in New York City.

Awards

*Aspen Music Festival Wombwell Kentucky Award *Michelle E. Sahm Memorial Award at the

Tanglewood Music Festival The Tanglewood Music Festival is a music festival held every summer on the Tanglewood estate in Stockbridge and Lenox in the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts. The festival consists of a series of concerts, including symphonic music, c ...

*Meet The Composer's Edward and Sally Van Lier Memorial Fund Award, 2003 * the Wombwell Kentucky Award for study at the Aspen Music Festival, 2003 *Michelle E. Sahm Award for flutists, 2003 * Received the Multi-Arts Production Fund - a grant given to "support innovative new works in all disciplines and traditions of performing arts." * Performance Today's 2020 Classical Woman of the Year

Grammys

List of compositions

Wind quintet

*2001: ''UMOJA'' *2002: ''speech. and canzone'' *2005: ''Afro-Cuban Concerto'' *2006: ''Suite: Portraits of Josephine - 4 Movements'' *2009: ''Red Clay and Mississippi Delta - Scherzo'' *2011: ''Tzigane'' ;Arrangements *"Afro Blue - Mongo Santamaria" *"NKOSI SI KE LEL 'I AFRIKA - Enoch Sontaga" (South African national anthem) *''Spirituals, Vol.1'' (" Every Time I Feel the Spirit", " Steal Away", "Little David Play on Your Harp") *"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" *Various holiday songs

Chamber music

*2003: ''UMOJA'' for wind sextet *2005: ''Sonatine for Clarinet and Piano'' *2006: ''Maombi Asante - A Prayer of Thanksgiving'' for flute, violin, and cello *2006: ''Suite: Portraits of Josephine - A Ballet in 8 Movements'' for chamber ensemble *2007: ''Suite: Portraits of Langston'' for flute, clarinet & piano *2007: ''LENOX AVENUE'' for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano *2008: ''Des Filmes Epiques'' for wind and string quartet *2009: ''Our God of Voiceless Things'' for choir, wind quintet, and jazz ensemble *2011: ''Four Winds of Ol' Forester'' for flute, violin, cello and mp3 *2012: ''Rubispheres'' for flute, clarinet and bassoon *2012: ''Ruby St. Nola'' for three C flutes *''Pontchartrain'' for flute choir

Orchestral

*2005: ''The Painted Lady'' *2018: ''Phenomenal Women'' *2019: ''UMOJA'' *2020: ''Seven O'Clock Shout''

Concert band

*2008: ''UMOJA'' *2009: ''ROMA'' *2013: ''Arabia'' for intermediate concert band

Solo flute

*2011: ''Danza de la Mariposa'' (

Theodore Presser The Theodore Presser Company is an American Music publisher (popular music), music publishing and Distribution (business), distribution company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, formerly King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and originally based in Br ...

)

Discography

Imani Winds

;Studio albums *2002: ''Umoja'' *2005: ''The Classical Underground'' (

) *2006: ''Imani Winds'' (E1) *2007: ''Josephine Baker: A Life of le Jazz Hot'' (E1) *2008: ''This Christmas with Imani Winds'' (E1) *2010: ''Terra Incognita'' (E1) *2013: ''Mohammed Fairouz: Native Informant'' (

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

) *2013: '' Without a Net'' (

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

)

Personal life

Coleman lives with her husband, Jonathan Page, and daughter, Lisa.

References

External links

Valerie Coleman's page at Theodore Presser Company
*
ImaniWinds.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Valerie American classical flautists American jazz flautists African-American flautists Women jazz flautists African-American classical composers African-American women classical composers American women classical composers 21st-century American classical composers Juilliard School faculty Mannes School of Music alumni Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Jazz musicians from Kentucky Louisville Male High School alumni American women flautists Women musicians from Kentucky Jazz musicians from New York (state) American women music educators Educators from New York City Classical musicians from New York (state) Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky American music educators 21st-century American women composers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians 21st-century American flautists 21st-century American women educators 21st-century American educators Year of birth missing (living people) Living people