Toyin Spellman-Diaz has travelled a pioneering path throughout her oboe career. 

After earning her Bachelors of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her Master's and Professional Studies degrees at the Manhattan School of Music, Toyin began following the footsteps of her esteemed orchestral oboist teachers- Richard White, James Caldwell, Joseph Robinson and Alex Klein. Her orchestral career includes being the first black woman oboist to play in the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as performances with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, American Composers Orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Manhattan Virtuosi, and with the Kennedy Center Youth Orchestra.

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After Toyin finished her education in 1997, flutist and composer Valerie Coleman helped her realize her potential when she asked her to be a founding member of Imani Winds, the most successful wind quintet of all time. With Imani Winds, Ms. Spellman-Diaz has not only travelled to 15 countries and 49 states and performed in every major performing hall in the US, she has also had the honor of recording 4 Grammy-nominated albums, including the 2024 Grammy-winning album Passion for Bach and Coltrane.