Blair School of Music

Join us on Monday, October 6 for a mesmerizing evening of music featuring the extraordinary talents of Grammy-nominated flutist Valerie Coleman. Renowned for her innovative compositions and passionate performances, Valerie has captivated audiences worldwide with her unique blend of classical and contemporary styles. Monday, October 6, 2025, 7:30 p.m., Turner Recital Hall Tickets: $17.50 - Reserve tickets: http://vu.edu/100625-tix About Valerie Coleman: An iconic musician, composer, and entrepreneur, Valerie Coleman was highlighted as one of the “Top 35 Women Composers” by The Washington Post and was named Performance Today’s 2020 Classical Woman of the Year, an honor bestowed to an individual who has made a significant contribution to classical music as a performer, composer or educator. Her works have garnered awards such as the MAPFund, ASCAP Honors Award, Chamber Music America’s Classical Commissioning Program, Herb Alpert Ragdale Residency Award, and nominations from The American Academy of Arts and Letters and United States Artists. Umoja, Anthem for Unity was chosen by Chamber Music America as one of the “Top 101 Great American Ensemble Works” and is now a staple of woodwind literature. Coleman is a founder of the acclaimed Imani Winds ensemble whose 24-year legacy is documented and featured in a dedicated exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Along with composer-harpist Hannah Lash, and composer-violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama, she co-founded and currently performs as flutist of the performer-composer trio Umama Womama. As a performer, Coleman has appeared at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center and with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Hartford Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Banff, Spoleto USA and Bravo! Vail. As a guest flutist, she has participated in the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair, New Jersey Flute Fair, South Carolina Flute Society Festival, Colorado Flute Fair, Mid-South Flute Fair and the National Women’s Music Festival. In February 2024, Coleman was appointed to the Composition Department faculty at The Juilliard School. She is the Director of the Woodwind Quintet Workshop at Boston University Tanglewood Institute and holds faculty positions with the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music Flute and Composition Department and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Coleman previously served on the faculty at The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami as Assistant Professor of Performance, Chamber Music and Entrepreneurship.