Monica Ellis

Monica Ellis is a GRAMMY® Award-winning, four-time nominated bassoonist and entrepreneur.

She is the remaining founding member of the acclaimed wind quintet Imani Winds, which is celebrating thirty years of transformative music-making. The ensemble is a groundbreaking force in chamber music, where virtuosity, imagination, and cultural connection converge.

A proud “band kid” from Pittsburgh, Monica’s bassoon foundation was paved with Mark Pancerev of the Pittsburgh Symphony. She later earned a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin College Conservatory studying with George Sakakeeny, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and a Professional Studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music, being led by Frank Morelli at those institutions.

Her wide-ranging career includes 11 recorded albums with Imani Winds, collaborations with artists and organizations ranging from Wayne Shorter to the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and solo appearances with major orchestras including Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra and Chineke! Orchestra at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

A dedicated educator, she is on the faculties of Curtis and Cleveland Institutes of Music, and Manhattan School of Music, serving in the classical, contemporary, chamber music and career advancement departments.

Her entrepreneurial acumen and passion for equity in classical music shows through in her roles as co-artistic and executive director of Imani Winds, its Chamber Music Festival, and Media Company, and as Treasurer of the non-profit, Imani Winds Foundation. Monica is a frequent speaker on advocacy and representation in the arts and serves on multiple arts boards.

The daughter of a jazz saxophonist and a fashion-forward mother, Monica was raised in a household full of creativity, ambition, and style. She is a Fox Bassoon Artist and performs on a Model 201.

Among her most meaningful recognitions is Imani Winds’ inclusion in the permanent classical music exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.

Monica lives in New York City’s historic village of Harlem, where she enjoys home decorating, never misses an episode of Jeopardy!, and is the proud mother of her greatest joy, her 12-year-old son, Oden.