Instructor Bios

Sue Gillio , flute …

• Sue Gillio, an Oglesby native, is a graduate of LaSalle-Peru High School.  She is Co-owner of OPUS 111, director of the flute program, instructor of flute and director of the Illinois Valley Flute Choir. 

• She attended Western Illinois University and received a Bachelor of Arts (Magna Cum Laude) and Master of Arts with emphasis in flute performance where she studied with Gerald Carey. 

• Ms. Gillio has performed in masterclasses of Alexander Murray, Eric Hoover, Robin Fellows, Wissam Boustany and attended the Trevor Wye Residential Masterclass in New London, Connecticut.

• She is currently Principal flute of the Illinois Valley Symphony, a member of the Quad City Symphony and has performed in the Heartland Philharmonic, Knox-Galesburg 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. 

• The 2006-2007 Season of the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra featured her on Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp.  Internationally, Ms. Gillio traveled to Italy (1998,2004) as part of the Rome Festival Orchestra, Opera and Ballet. 

• She is currently on faculty at Illinois Valley Community College and Sauk Valley Community College.  She is a frequent adjudicator at IMEA, IHSA Solo/Ensemble Contest, Rockford Young Artists Competition, Chicago Flute Club Competition and other local festivals. She was a guest clinician at the Western Illinois University “Living Legacy” tribute to Gerald Carey (2006) presenting a lecture on “Developing a Successful Music Studio”. 

• She is a member of the Illinois Valley Symphony Board, Chicago Flute Club, Rockford Flute Club and National Flute Association where she has performed for the National Conventions in Columbus, OH (2000) and Dallas, TX (2001) and served as the 2006 Co-General Director of the Maud Powell Music Festival.  In 1999, she founded the Annual IVCC Summer Flute Retreat, teaching with her former WIU instructor, Gerald Carey.  Additionally, she is on the faculty of the Summer Flute Camp at Westminster Choir Conservatory in Princeton, New Jersey.

Stacy Konczak, piano…

• Co-owner of OPUS 111,  Director of the Piano & KINDERMUSIK® Programs, is a graduate of LaSalle-Peru High School.  She received an Associate of Arts degree at Illinois Valley Community College and a Bachelor of Music with concentration in piano pedagogy from Illinois Wesleyan in 1991. 

• In her course of study, her teachers include Anita Albert, LaSalle; Carolyn Ashley, Geneva; and Professor Susan Brandon and Dr Lawrence Campbell, both at Illinois Wesleyan.

• Received licensed certification from Kindermusik® University upon completing required curriculum, 2000.

• While at IVCC, she performed in the Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Mr. John Armstrong, the IVCC Choir under the direction of Mr. William Hall, and participated in two student recitals while studying with Ms. Carolyn Ashley.  At IWU, she performed two solo piano recitals and was a member of the  Jazz Combo "Low Frequency".

• She attended the "Amadeus Bicentennial Mozart Festival" in 1991, touring London, Rome, Florence, Venice, Salzburg and Vienna.

• She currently attends piano pedagogy seminars including those given by Jane Bastien (Bastien and KJOS) and Lynda Garcia (Roland and Hal Leonard), is the organist at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church and St. Hyacinth’s Catholic Church and performs for weddings and funerals.

• She has adjudicated for the IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contests,

• At home, she has a husband, Bryant; children Alex, Anna, Noah and Jack, and a dog, Cujo.

• Her students' accomplishments include:
  • Superior place rankings at  IHSA (Illinois High School Assn) Solo & Ensemble Contests
  • Contestant in the Renquist Music Competition in Geneva, IL.
  • Members of the Illinois Valley Youth Symphony
  • Participants in the "Monster Concerts" sponsored by Horine's Pianos Plus (previously in the Peru Mall)
  • Featured soloists for the Youth Service Bureau's Sports' Benefit and Auction, Spring 1998.
  • Accompanist/solo performances at various local schools, churches and talent shows
  • Music and Piano Performance Majors at Eureka College, University of Illinois, ISU & NIU
  • Student teaching and assisting

Amber Backus, Clarinet…

• Amber Backus is a native of Bowling Green, OH and has only lived in the Illinois Valley area since August 2007. Amber attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Music Education. While at Bowling Green, Amber studied with Kevin Schempf and Edward Marks. During her college career she played in the BGSU Marching Band and Concert Band, as well as the Bowling Green Community Band. She is currently the band director at John F. Kennedy Elementary and Hall High School in Spring Valley. Amber also plays bass clarinet with the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra and clarinet in the Illinois Valley Community College Wind Ensemble. Amber and her son, Albert, currently reside in Spring Valley.

Amy Bell, Theory Workshops/Composition…

• Graduate of La Salle-Peru High School. As a student of OPUS 111 Music Studio, Amy studied flute with Sue Gillio and piano with Stacy Konczak.

• Received a Bachelor of Music Composition and Bachelor of Music Performance with flute emphasis from University of Northern Iowa studying flute with Angeleita Floyd and Torleif Ander (Sweden) and composition with Jonathan Schwabe, Lathon Jernigan and Alan Schmitz. Has Performance on masterclasses with Gerald Carey, Angeleita Floyd, Stephanie Jutt and Zawa! (Claudia Anderson and Jill Felber)

• Most recently, Amy completed a Master of Music Composition from Bowling Green State University in Ohio studying with Elainie Lillios, Burton Beerman and Andrea Reinkemeyer.

• She has written and has had performed many works for solo instruments, voice and chamber works for larger ensembles. Premiere include Phoenix Rising (2004) for solo flute; Prayer (2003) for two pianos and percussion; Kyrie (2003) for mixed choir and small chamber ensemble; Litany and Incantation (2002) for flute and bassoon; Stations of the Cross (2001) for organ and percussion; Thesis piece: Transendence toward Paradise (2007) for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola, and harp; and other works.

Kim Codo, Guitar & Guitar Ensembles…

• Was born August 1, 1952  and a 1970 graduate of Ottawa High School and attended Illinois Valley Community College. 

• Attended Illinois State University, where he was a Theory & Composition major studying with Roque Cordero.

• Kim has worked as a professional musician with various bands from 1966 through 1993.

• Has taught guitar since 1970 and studied with Frank Longary (SSA approved teacher trainer) for registration as a Suzuki® Guitar instructor.

Constance L. Deal, Violin, Viola, Cello & Pre Twinkle…

• Ms. Deal’s musical training began in Hickory North Carolina, where she studied with Varton Manoogian (1974-76).  Her summers were spent in study at Brevard Music Camp, Brevard, North Carolina and later at the National Music Camp, Interlochen, Michigan.

• In 1981, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Violin Performance from Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina.  While there she studied with Dr. Jeri Lucktenburg.  After college, she  taught private lessons in Dunwoody, Georgia.  Currently, she teaches violin privately in the following communities: Geneseo, Ottawa, and Princeton, Illinois.  She is also on the music faculty at the Illinois Valley Community College, Oglesby, Illinois.

• Since moving to Annawan, Illinois in 1992, Ms. Deal is active in teaching violin to all ages and performing in many community activities.  Some of these activities are Knox Galesburg Symphony Orchestra, 2004 Quad Cities Music Guild’s performance of Jekyl and Hyde, Bureau Valley High School’s annual musical, Kewanee Community Palm Sunday Concert and Christmas Concert, and guest soloist at many local churches.  Ms. Deal is a member of Music to Remember, which provides music for weddings and special occasions.  She is a registered member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas (thru Book 6).   Past performing opportunities include the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, Geneseo String Ensemble, and Geneseo Music Club.

Nichole Luchs , Harp … (available for instruction off site)

• native of Freeport, Illinois, started playing the harp at the age of ten studying with Nanette Felix until she graduated high school and then went on to study with Elizabeth Cifani, principal harpist with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
  
• Nichole received a bachelors degree in harp performance from Northern Illinois University and a masters degree in harp performance from Northwestern University.  During her studies, she was the recipient of the prestigious Eckstein Scholarship and the Keefer Award.  In 2002, she performed two duets with the world-renowned Steel-pan artist Liam Teague on his Christmas recording A Christmas Gift, produced by Sack records.  She also performed on the debut recording of modern composer Dexter Morrill entitled, Dexter Morrill: Three Concertos, produced by Centaur Records, Inc. In 2003, she was a featured artist at the first annual Viroqua Fine Arts Festival and also in 2005 for the Dubuque Symphony Chamber Musicians Series.
  
  
• Nichole is currently an active freelance musician and performs throughout Illinois and Iowa.  She is principal harp with the Illinois Valley Symphony, Peoria Symphony and DuPage Symphony.  Additionally, she has performed with the Rockford Symphony, Evanston Symphony, Skokie Valley Symphony, Fox Valley Symphony Quad City Symphony, and Dubuque Symphony.  She is a member of the American Harp Society and the Great Lakes Harpers. 

David Peterson, brass…

• Received his Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Music Education at the University of Illinois.  He is presently the band director at Grand Ridge Grade School.  He previously taught music and band in the Spring Valley Elementary Schools and at Ladd Grade School.

• Mr. Peters is a member of the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Monarch Brass Quintet, the Prairie Percussion Group and also conduct the Spring Valley Municipal Band. 

• David resides in La Salle with his wife, Julie.

Delle Peterson, cello …

• Ms. Peterson received her Bachelor’s of Music Degree in Music Education and her Illinois State Teachers Certificate at Western Illinois University. Her primary teachers include Dr. Charlotte Williams Muir, Michael Pecherek, and Dr. Moises Molina, but she has also studied with Dr. Adriana de la Rosa, Dr. Nina Gordon, Tony Arnone, Dr. William Cernota, and Dr. Thomas Landshoot.
  
  
• Ms. Peterson’s teaching experience includes private teaching, chamber music coaching and being faculty at the Quincy Summer Music Festival in Quincy, IL & French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in Hancock, New York. She has coached soloists and chamber ensembles in preparation for IMEA and IHSA contest.
  
  
• Ms. Peterson has been a cellist with orchestras in Illinois and Iowa and is a current member of the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra. In 2008 she toured in Germany performing The Magic Flute with the Lausitzer Opernsommer. 
  
  
• She currently lives near Mendota and teaches cello and piano lessons privately.

Steve Resler, Guitar…

• Born in South Dakota and introduced to piano lessons at age four.  Steve has studied guitar since age nine under the tutelage of Evelyn Brue-Roeder, Brad Fish and Don Tisch at NIU and Kim Codo. In addition to guitar, he played trombone and electric bass at Serena High School. He has studied voice with Angela Presutti of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Vandercook College of Music.

• Mr. Resler received an AA with music emphasis at Illinois Valley Community College and has taught K-8 general music and private guitar at the DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented (2002-2003) in Elgin.  He is currently a student at NIU studying computer music and media arts.

• He has played in local bands such as Torque, Achin’ Alley, The Jury, and Symptom of Society.  He has composed music for independent films such as Carlin Trammels David Van Fange in Tastes like Chicken (Stormspeed Entertainment and Habeeb Films), can be heard on “Torque Live, The GrrCrunch Whirring” and Symptom of Society’s original first album “Symptom of Society.

• He has performed with the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra and has recently remixed English overdubs for the Chinese film “The Emperor’s Daughter”.

Mark Spitz, Percussion…

• Mark joined the OPUS 111 Music Studio faculty in 2005 teaching percussion. 

• He has enjoyed an active performing career as drummer with numerous bands in the Illinois Valley area and in surrounding communities. 

• He is employed at Carus Chemical and resides in Dimmick Township with his wife, Cris and daughters Sarah and Rachel.

Patrick Wilson, Jazz Studies….

• Patrick started playing saxophone in his school band when he was 10 years old.  Since then, he has remained active both in music and education.  As a public school educator, Patrick established a reputation for high-quality music programs.  As a performer, Patrick has played in venues throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Europe.

• Patrick received his music degree from Western Illinois University where he studied saxophone with John Vana, jazz pedagogy with Dale Hopper, and jazz improvisation with John Murphy.

Megan Zomboracz, Voice….

• soprano, recently moved back to Peru from Oglesby. 

• Megan started singing as a member of the Illinois Valley Children’s Choir at the age of 8.   She received an Associates Degree from Illinois Valley Community College in 2001 with emphasis in music studying with Dr. Alan Peters.  At IVCC, she participated in the Madrigals, the 1940s Radio Show and two plays/productions.  In 2003 she received a Bachelors Degree from Northern Illinois University with a music emphasis studying with Diane Ragains.  Additionally, she participated in the Opera Workshop, Concert Choir and was a member of ACDA.

• Her operatic roles include Diana from Orpheus in the Underworld and St. Wilhelmina in Four Saints in Three Acts.  Additionally, Ms. Zomboracz has graced the Maud Powell Music Festival stage in the 2006 production of Hänsel und Gretel and world premiere “Maud Powell, Queen of Violinists” written by Andrjez Hanzelewicz.  She will perform at the 2007 Maud Powell Music Festival at "Music Under the Stars" and the World Premiere of "The Bake Shop Ghost" by Dr. Jonathon Schwabe.

• Currently, Megan is the Branch Manager for Peru Federal Savings and has taught voice lessons at OPUS 111 Music Studio since September 2006.

Steve Kujala, Flute Day Instructor….

• Flutist and composer Steve Kujala has been one of the most identifiable flute stylists of the last 30 years. Destined to become a flutist, Steve followed in the footsteps of his father, Walfrid Kujala, principal piccoloist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and professor of flute at Northwestern University. The younger Kujala was influenced in equal measure by his father and the classical music he played every day, The Beatles and the British Pop “Invasion”, and by Chick Corea and the jazz/rock fusion movement. While a student at the famed New Trier West High School (at that time considered the top performing arts high school in the country), Kujala became one of the earliest “multi-hyphenate/slash artists” by playing first flute in the orchestra, lead tenor sax in the jazz ensemble and electric guitar in a rock band. While still only a junior, he garnered his first taste of international recognition by winning the “best jazz flute soloist” award at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival.
  
  
• With a professional career beckoning, Kujala honed his skills and received his formal musical training at the venerable Eastman School of Music (his father’s alma mater), in Rochester, N.Y. During his tenure at Eastman, Kujala studied flute in his first year with Walfrid Kujala’s former teacher, the great Joseph Mariano, later with Walfrid Kujala himself (after Mariano’s sudden retirement), and finally with the man who would soon supplant Jean-Pierre Rampal as the world’s most celebrated flutist: James Galway. Steve, however, was already showing the classic signs of a restless musical spirit and took a major step in the opposite direction away from symphonic music by forming the seminal jazz-rock fusion group Auracle with five like-minded Eastman jazz majors. With Auracle, Kujala continued to wow judges at the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival, being given the “best jazz flutist” award once again, this time by no less a luminary than Downbeat Magazine critic’s and reader’s poll-winner Hubert Laws. This accolade was followed by the group’s winning the CBS record’s “Battle of the Bands” – the grand prize consisting of a trip to the Big Apple to record and mix a demo album of original material at CBS studios.
  
  
• With their CBS demo in hand and the promise of success in their heads, Kujala and Auracle left Eastman behind to pursue their dream of a major-label recording contract. Choosing Los Angeles as their new home base, Auracle soon took the local music scene by storm and signed an exclusive contract with Chrysalis Records, the maverick independent label formed by rock flute legend Ian Anderson (front man of Jethro Tull) and his managers. After two critically received albums (produced by none other then Miles Davis’s long-time producer, Teo Macero) and a tour of Europe – which included a return for Kujala to the Montreux Jazz Festival – Kujala was discovered by jazz piano great Chick Corea. Kujala found a natural affinity for Corea and his music (especially Corea’s “hit” song Spain, which Kujala had listened to incessantly in high school; less than a decade later, Kujala found himself replacing the man in Corea’s touring group that recorded the infamous flute part, the legendary Joe Farrell), and Corea became a mentor to the young flutist/saxophonist through four world tours and four records. One of those records, the flute/piano duet album Voyage (on ECM), was nominated for a Grammy and was recorded (in Munich Germany by uber-producer Manfred Eicher) as the culmination of a duet tour of Europe that found the two musicians improvising the majority of their marathon concerts, creating the next chapter in the prolific line of Corea duet collaborations (which included luminaries Gary Burton, Herbie Hancock, and later, Bobby McFerrin and Bela Fleck). 
  
  
• During this period, Kujala was developing a unique pitch-bending technique for the flute for which he was receiving rave notices in the press and the esteem of his colleagues and fans alike. Similar to the haunting note-bending sounds associated with simple 6-holed, keyless ethnic flutes like the Shakuhachi, Kujala perfected the seemingly impossible feat of applying this technique to the modern western flute (with it’s numerous keys and tricky mechanism) and is now the sole practitioner of what has become known as the “Steve Kujala Fretless-Flute Technique” (in a “tip of the hat” to the new wave of Fretless electric bass players like Jaco Pastorious et al). A music video of the song and technique is being produced for You Tube audiences, and a high-def video tutorial will follow soon after.
  
  
• At the same time he was developing his novel approach to the contemporary flute, Kujala was also honing his composing and songwriting skills. His self-penned “Fretless Flute Song” featured his patented slide-flute technique, and immediately secured his place in the worldwide pantheon of flutists with an instantly identifiable sound and style. This was merely the first of a collection of songs that also included a ground-breaking approach to multi-track recording techniques with another Kujala original called Tutti Flutti (see “A Belly Full of Melody”) - utilizing no less than 126 overdubbed flute tracks! These unique and delightful songs soon led to a publishing deal with ATV Music (the Beatles publisher) and Cherry Lane Music (John Denver’s publishing company), which paved the way to Kujala’s first solo recording contract with CBS records. His debut recording, Fresh Flute, was an instant critical success and featured the perfect symbiosis of Kujala’s formidable flute technique, improvisational prowess, and compositional flair.
  
  
• The Fresh Flute success led to four more solo albums, and Kujala’s unique style of flute playing found him highly sought after as one of the busiest Los Angeles studio session musicians. To date, his flute can be heard on 300+ records, 400+ motion pictures, and thousands of TV shows and commercials. His songs and compositions (over 200 copyrights) have found their way onto his own album projects, film and TV soundtracks, and national ad campaigns – most notably those of Zoloft and Lexus. His Holiday song “Family and Friends” has been the centerpiece of Lexus’s “December To Remember” campaign every year since 1999 (you know the one – the “surprise” gift of a brand new Lexus with a big red bow on top), and thus has become a virtual “hit” song heard by tens of millions of people. Grammy and Juno award winning lyricists have written words to Kujala’s songs, including Shirley Eikhard (who penned Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-winning Let’s Give Them Something To Talk About), Eddie Schwartz (who penned the classic Hit Me With Your Best Shot for Pat Benatar), and many others.
  
  
• A partial listing of recording, concert and movie credits include: Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Makoto Ozone, Peter Sprague, Wayne Shorter, Rick Braun, Chris Botti, Dave Koz, Josh Groban, Il Divo, Alicia Keys, the Beach Boys, Tears for Fears, Sir George Martin, James Galway, Luciano Pavarotti, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, Gwen Stefani, Jewel, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Rochester Symphony, the Victoria Symphony, Doc Severinson, John Denver, Garrison Keiller, George Benson, Rod Stewart, The Temptations, Tony Bennett, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Buble, Pink Martini, Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach, David Foster, Quincy Jones, Randy Newman, Johnny Mandel, Michael Crawford, Bernadette Peters, The Original Glinda, Julie Andrews, Mel Brooks, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Kenny G,  NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, Warner Bros, Paramount, Disney, MGM, Sony, Universal, ATV Music, Cherry Lane, MCA, BMI, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Thomas Newman, Finding Nemo, The Horse Whisperer, Pay it Forward, American Beauty, The Green Mile, Phenomenon, Road to Perdition, Toy Story, The Lion King, Wicked, King Kong, Marc Isham, James Newton Howard, Alan Slyvestri, John Debney, The National Flute Association, The British Flute Society, Zoloft, Lexus, The Simpsons, Family Guy, The West Wing, Dallas, Dynasty, Knotts Landing, Falcon Crest, Tiny Toons, Star Trek, Murder She Wrote, The X Files, The Matrix, Jurassic Park, The Terminal, Hook, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Austin Powers, The Yamaha Corporation, and many, many others.
  
  
• Kujala has been the principal piccolo player of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for the last eighteen years, having performed over 300 concerts with many of the world’s top performers and acts. He has also been seen on two PBS video concerts, with Josh Groban (at the Pasadena Playhouse) and Il Divo (at The Greek Theater). In addition to his studio work, Kujala has also been the featured flutist with the L.A. production of The Lion King (playing 14 different ethnic flutes!) for two years, and the recent production of Wicked.
  
  
• It was his involvement with Broadway shows that led Kujala to begin writing and conceptualizing the revue Tutti Flutti, incorporating the best aspects of shows like Stomp, Blast, Riverdance, Blue Man Group, et al and putting a world-music tilt to them, featuring flutes and flutists from all over the world.