Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble to present 2 December concerts

Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble is presenting the 32nd annual Festival of Flutes at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, in Peru, and Flutes by the Fireplace at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, at Starved Rock Lodge, Great Hall.

The Music Suite 408 flute studio will present a concert at Zion United Church of Christ, 1521 Sixth St., Peru, under the direction of Sue Gillio, Becky Weiler and Natalie Lindig.

Flutes by the Fireplace, an annual favorite, will present a show with Music Suite 408 flutists, alumni, community members and flute playing friends. This year there will be five contrabass players, including three from the West Suburban Flute Ensemble.

Special selections presented by the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble will include “Polar Express,” “O Holy Night,” “Walking in the Air” from “The Snowman” and the Hallelujah Chorus. Both concerts are sponsored by Music Suite 408 and the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble, are free, open to the public and about one hour long. Flute players who would like to play with Flutes by the Fireplace can contact 815-223-4408 to request music in advance. Everyone is welcome.

Music Suite 408 performers are Ana Allen, Plainfield; Mackenzie Bangert, Tonica; Madi Bulen, Abby Sindel, Mendota; Brie Clayton, Paw Paw; Jillian Cornwall, Gridley; Lois Croasdale, Spring Valley; Paige Evans, Cedar Point; Aurora Gage, Emily Kmetz, Becky Weiler, La Salle; Kathy Gage, Lake Ozark, Missouri; Jason Bryant, Bentlea Ernat; Maggie Ferguson, Sue Johnson, Natalie Lindig, Gabby Mosley, Killian O’Dell, Julia Smith, Maddie Vescogni, Peru; Alex Aubry, Marissa Booth, Amy Budnick, Tony Grunstad, Hallee Loza, Ottawa; Eileen Hagenbuch, Utica; Kendra Herman, Lizzie Herman, Kendra Olson, Seneca; Jan Hoge, Wenona; Cierra Espinoza, Teagan Mullane, Raahi Patel, Julie Pleskovitch, Oglesby; Ava Rosengren, Serena; and Jamie Valadez, Dalzell.

Music Suite 408 in Peru is the home base for the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble, which was established in the summer of 1991. The ensemble is one of the flute ensembles at Music Suite 408 ranging in age from 6 through adult. The Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble has performed annually in April as part of the Music at the Mansion series at the Hegeler Carus Mansion; on television for the Easter Seals Telethon, La Salle Christmas Open House, City of Peru Maud Powell Arts Celebrations, Senica’s Oak Ridge, Deer Park Country Club, Hunter’s Ridge Country Club, Reddick Mansion, St. Margaret’s Auxiliary Dinner, Morton Grove Library, Liberty Village in Streator, Princeton and Peru, Ottawa Community Hospital Cancer Survivor Breakfast, Hornbaker’s Gardens and various private parties and seasonal gatherings. Additionally, the IVFE has performed as one of three ensembles invited to the 37th annual Principals Association three-day conference at the Peoria Civic Center and have performed at the Chicago Flute Festival in 2001 (Wheeling), 2009 (Evanston) and in Oct. 1 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts in Chicago. The IVFE has produced three CDs “In the Mood for Flutes (2005)” “Christmas Tidings (2009)” and “Flute Spangled Spectacular (June 2012).”

Gillio, an Oglesby native, is the owner of Music Suite 408 and director of the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble. She received her BA and MA from Western Illinois University with emphasis in flute performance where she studied with Gerald Carey. She is principal flute of the Illinois Valley Symphony, and has performed in the Quad City Symphony, Heartland Philharmonic, Knox-Galesburg Symphony, DuPage Symphony and the Peoria Symphony. She has been a featured soloist with the Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony, Illinois Valley Youth Symphony, Mendota High School Band, Illinois Valley Community College Wind Ensemble and guest soloist with members of the Chicago Symphony and Northwest Indiana Symphony at St. Xavier College in Chicago performing “Brandenburg Concerto #5″ by J.S. Bach. She has been the featured soloist with the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra in 2006, 2014 and will be again in the 2023-2024 season.

Internationally, Gillio has performed in Italy as part of the Rome Festival Orchestra (1998, 2004). She is on faculty at IVCC, executive board of North Central Illinois Artworks and is a member of the Chicago Flute Club and National Flute Association where she has performed at conventions in Columbus, Ohio (2000) and Dallas, Texas (2001). She has been published in the Flute Talk periodical, the Pipeline of the Chicago Flute Club and will be the featured educator in the May 2016 Flute Talk. She founded the annual Summer Flute Retreat and is on the faculty of the Summer Flute Camp at Westminster Choir Conservatory in Princeton, New Jersey. She was awarded the 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Illinois Small Business Development Center and Omni Arts 2018 Excellence Award for Music.