“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) in the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Her academic credentials include a Professional Diploma in Music Performance from Berklee College of Music and a Master of Arts in Music Performance from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, a highly-regarded institution located in Riga, Latvia, her native country.

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, and Latvia, performances at the Latvian Embassy in Washington, DC, Boston Symphony Hall, and many other concerts spanning various genres. Ilona has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ilona’s passions are improvisation, jazz, and contemporary music. She has performed with the Greg Hopkins Orchestra at the Beantown Jazz Festival and at JazzFest Falmouth, and with her own Ilona Kudiņa Quintet in clubs such as Ryles Jazz Club, the Regattabar, Scullers Jazz Club, and at the Saulkrasti Jazz Festival.

Ilona is a strong leader, as well as a generous and skilled collaborator. She has been an advocate for music for flute by Latvian composers and has always performed flute music by her native country’s composers in her flute solo recitals. Ilona’s first 2-set CD, On the Bridge (2006), a compilation of music by Latvian composers, was awarded a Certificate of Achievement from the World Federation of Free Latvians (WFFL) in 2006. In 2016, she received the American Latvian Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for success in the music field and for promoting Latvian music and culture in the USA.