‘Spooky’ flute concert set in Ottawa, Peru

Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble will present A Flute Spookacular concert in Ottawa and in Peru.

The Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble under the direction of Sue Gillio will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, at Prairie Fox Books, 719 La Salle St., Ottawa, then 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at Zion United Church of Christ, 1521 Sixth St., Peru. Those attending the concert at Prairie Fox Books are encouraged to wear costumes.

Freewill 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 June 2024 in Peru.

Music performed will include “The Munsters,” “The Addams Family,” “Casper the Friendly Ghost,” “Danse des Mysteres,” “Mysterious Mansion” (music from Disney World’s Haunted Mansion), among other selections.

Performers are Lois Croasdale, of Spring Valley; Paige Evans, of Cedar Point; Emily Kmetz and Becky Weiler, of LaSalle; Kathy Gage, Lake Ozark, Missouri; Maggie Ferguson, Sue Johnson, Natalie Lindig, Gabby Mosley and Maddie Vescogni, of Peru; Tony Grunstad and Hallee Loza, of Ottawa; Eileen Hagenbuch, of Utica; Kendra Herman and Kendra Olson, of Seneca; Jan Hoge, of Wenona; Cierra Espinoza and Julie Pleskovitch, of Oglesby; Ava Rosengren, of Serena; and Jamie Valadez, of Dalzell.

The concert is sponsored by Music Suite 408 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 6 years old 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, among several other local concerts.

Sue Gillio, an Oglesby native, is the owner of Music Suite 408 and director of the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble. She received her bachelors and masters degrees 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 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.

All Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble performances are on a donation basis, which allows 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.