“And, yes, she’s a formidable flutist. Although she’s spent much of her career in classical music, her jazz playing is rough and ready. It’s not just the spur-of-the-moment invention of her improvisations but her enthusiasm for jazz’s idiosyncratic colors and rhythmic attack that keep her sound fresh and surprising.”
— THE BOSTON PHOENIX

Before moving to Boston, MA, in 2001, Ilona was an orchestra artist (flute, piccolo) with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Her academic credentials include a Professional Diploma in Music Performance from the Berklee College of Music and a Master of Arts in Music Performance from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, a prestigious institution located in Riga, Latvia, her native country. Through the Erasmus Exchange Program she studied at the ArtEZ Academy of Music, Enschede, Netherlands, and at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, UK.

Since 2000, Ilona has participated in numerous projects, including: recording and performing at jazz festivals in the US and abroad; an international jazz celebration at the UN; classical solo recitals in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Latvia; and concerts at the Latvian Embassy in Washington, DC, and Boston Symphony Hall, among others. She has also served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. Ilona is a voting member of the GRAMMY Recording Academy, ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers), and the Boston Musicians' Association Local 9-535, American Federation of Musicians, Boston, MA.

Ilona’s passions are improvisation, jazz, and contemporary music. She is a strong leader and a generous and skilled collaborator. As an advocate for music for flute by Latvian composers, she consistently features works by her native country's composers in her solo recitals. Her first two-set CD, On the Bridge (2006), a compilation of music by Latvian composers, received a Certificate of Achievement from the World Federation of Free Latvians (WFFL) in 2006. In 2016, she was honored with the American Latvian Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to music and for promoting Latvian culture in the USA.