Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble to host “A Kaleidoscope of Color” concert

The Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble under the direction of Sue Gillio will present “A Kaleidoscope of Color” concert 7 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at Zion United Church of Christ, 1521 Sixth St., Peru.

Free-will offerings will be accepted with money going to the flute scholarship fund to assist flutists who would like to attend the Summer Flute Retreat, June 19-25, in Peru.

Music performed Saturday will feature a color in the title of the piece and will conclude with an arrangement of “Colors of the Wind.”

Performers are Lois Croasdale, of Spring Valley; Catherine Engels and Emily Kmetz, of La Salle; Kathy Gage, of Keokuk, Iowa; Maggie Ferguson, Aubrey Garretson, Sue Johnson, Gabby Mosley and Maddie Vescogni, of Peru; Tony Grunstad and Natalie Lindig, of Ottawa; Eileen Hagenbuch, of Utica; Kendra Herman and Kendra Olson, of Seneca; Jan Hoge, of Wenona; Julie Pleskovitch, of Oglesby; Donna Robinson, of Princeton; Ava Rosengren, of Serena; Jamie Valadez, of Dalzell.

The concert is sponsored by Music Suite 408, North Central Illinois ARTworks and the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble.

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 to 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 other private parties and seasonal gatherings.

Additionally, the ensemble 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) and 2009 (Evanston). The IVFE has produced three CDs “In the Mood for Flutes (2005),” “Christmas Tidings (2009)” and “Flute Spangled Spectacular (June 2012).”

Sue 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 and again in 2014.

Internationally, Gillio has performed in Italy as part of the Rome Festival Orchestra (1998, 2004). She is on faculty at Illinois Valley Community College, executive board of North Central Illinois ARTworks and is a member of the Chicago Flute Club, Quad City Flute Association, Rockford Flute Club and National Flute Association where she has performed at conventions in Columbus, Ohio (2000) and Dallas (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.”

Gillio founded the annual Summer Flute Retreat and is on the faculty of the Summer Flute Camp at Westminster Choir Conservatory in Princeton, N.J. She was awarded the 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Illinois Small Business Development Center and OMNI Arts 2017 Excellence Award.

All Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble performances are on a donation basis, which enables the groups to purchase new music, help with the upkeep of instruments and provides full or partial scholarships to the Summer Flute Retreat and other summer music opportunities for flute students.

NCI ARTworks is a regional arts agency, a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and expanding the arts community in La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties through artistic collaboration, educational outreach and art space development. Its mission also is to create venues which support public and private education, community events, economic development and cultural tourism. ARTworks’ vision is to foster communication between artists, arts organizations, and arts educators. NCI ARTworks is located in the Westclox ARTworks Center in the west wing of the Westclox building in Peru. The organization is supported, in part, by the Illinois Arts Council Agency. For more information visit www.nciartworks.com.