TEM254: Monica Ellis of Imani Winds

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TEM254: Monica Ellis of Imani Winds

Monica Ellis has been the bassoon player for Imani Winds since founding it 25 years ago and is a creative force in the musical world.

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

  • The past collaborations between Imani Winds and Boston Brass and how special it was to combine so many seasoned chamber musicians

  • The importance of bringing a point of view when making music

  • The people, the mission and the “badassery” that have enabled Imani Winds to survive and thrive for 25 years when so many other groups don’t make it a fraction of that time

  • How a group having a strong foundation and premise helps things to always be moving forward when adversity arises

  • How each time Imani Winds has brought on a new member they have brought their own authentic selves to the group (and why they always look for strong personalities)

  • Why the backstage relationship is what brings the magic to the stage in a chamber ensemble

  • The enormous amount of opportunities presented to Monica and Imani Winds and how they decide when to say no

  • How Monica is able to be so present in her family’s life while also being so involved with Imani Winds (note this is NOT the how can you be a mother and have a career question!)

  • Why “turning the switch off” is important as a musical entrepreneur since there is always something else still to do

  • How the mission of Imani Winds has evolved over time (and how their mission started by knowing what they didn’t want to do)

  • The musical storytelling that Imani Winds has done over the last 25 years

  • Why no matter how young you are, you don’t need to wait to tell an interesting story

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And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

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