Denise Cooksey

Denise has been a member of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra for 26 years. She has also been the principal with the Peoria Municipal Band for some years, as well as a yearly soloist, liaison to the Commission and a Commissioner. She plays second flute and piccolo for Opera Illinois. She is the principal flue for the Prarie Wind Ensemble in addition to being a 6-time soloist and member of the board. She is a member of the Ivy Trio that played at the 2001 National Flute Association Convention in Dallas, TX. She works with the St. Martin Chamber Players, Peoria Players, and Cornstock. Also, Denise plays with the newly formed Flute Troop founded by Luann Stoskop. Recently, in February of 2000, she had the opportunity to perform in New York City at Merkin Hall with the Ivy Trio (a smaller group formed out of the St. Martin Chamber Players). They performed several solo works and ensemble works including a piece by Jeffrey Hoover who is currently subbing in the Municipal band.

Denise studied with Gerald Quinlan, Charles DeLaney (at the University of Illinois for her Bachelor of Music), and Nancy Gillett (at Bradley University for her Master of Music). She is now a private flute teacher for about 40 students. She is additionally on the board of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 26.

Denise also has a CD out that includes hymns and traditional music. It has some nice arrangements of traditional hymns, some are jazzy, some are bluesy, and some are more traditional. They are sold at Kidders and Barnes and Noble.

Denise has been married 17 wonderful years and has 9 cats. She tries to find homes for strays and occasionally keeps more than necessary! She also enjoys running (thanks to Kyle Dzapo), racquetball, and weight training