Illinois Valley, Bloomington-Normal flute ensembles to present Route Flute 66 concert April 6 in Peru

The Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble and Bloomington-Normal Flute Club will present their Route Flute 66 concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 6, at Zion United Church of Christ, 1521 Sixth St., Peru; at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at the Prairie Arts Center, Princeton, and at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in Bloomington.

The Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble under the direction of Sue Gillio and the Bloomington-Normal Flute Club under the direction of IVFE alumna Rachel Bailey will present “Route Flute 66.”

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 in Peru in June. Music performed will include pieces following Route 66 from Chicago, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California, concluding with “Flute 66” by composer/flutist Jonathan Cohen of Baltimore.

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 years old through adult.

Sue Gillio, an Oglesby native, is the owner of Music Suite 408 and founder/director of the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble.

The Bloomington-Normal Flute Club is an all-abilities, flute ensemble for adults. Its goal is to provide a space for adult flute players to grow as musicians and have a performance outlet without judgment or unneeded stress. They also strive to have fun while becoming better flute players and to build a community. The group was founded in 2022 by Bailey, instructor at The Music Shoppe in Normal. It has performed at assisted living facilities in the area as well as for public events such as the Nativities Festival in Peoria and Christmas Walk in Mason City.

Bailey, an Oglesby native, began flute lessons with Gillio. She received her Bachelor of Arts in music performance from Brigham Young University-Idaho, Master of Music in flute performance from Texas State University and attended The Studio with Trevor Wye in Ashford, Kent, UK, where she completed her certificate in 2011.

Her primary teachers include Patricia George and Adah Toland-Jones. Bailey was a winner of the Concerto Competition at Texas State in 2008 and soloed with the orchestra on the Liebermann Flute Concerto No. 1 in 2009. She also has performed with the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Sewanee Symphony, Texas State Symphony and Brigham Young University-Idaho Orchestra as well as various chamber groups.

She enjoys playing in an Irish band. Bailey is an alum of the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble and has attended and taught at the Summer Flute Retreat in Peru.

Both ensembles maintain a busy performance schedule that are on a donation basis, which enable the groups to purchase new music and instruments, help with the upkeep of instruments, assist with rental space costs and provide full or partial scholarships to the Summer Flute Retreat and other summer music opportunities for flute students.

The Prairie Arts Center is located at 24 E Park Ave. in Princeton. Founded in 1995, the Prairie Arts Council is dedicated to strengthening and supporting participation in the arts across north-central Illinois. Since its formation, it has sponsored hundreds of concerts, programs, exhibitions, productions and classes for individuals of all ages and abilities. Programming is funded in part through grants from the Illinois Arts Agency and The Closet.