In Memoriam — Sandra Ellingsen
May 5, 1960 – June 1, 2025
Northshore Concert Band’s April 2026 concert was dedicated to Sandy Ellingsen, a cherished member of the ensemble whose life was devoted to caring for and guiding children. As a mother, mentor, and minister, she offered warmth, patience, and encouragement to all those around her. The works programmed reflected that spirit — celebrating imagination, growth, and the lasting impact of a life spent helping others find their way.
President Gerald Ford speaks at Buffalo Grove High School on March 12, 1976. The Buffalo Grove High School Band sits at the ready in the background.
The daughter of a clarinetist and a trombonist, Sandy took up the flute when she was 10 years old and continued playing throughout her formative years, including a performance of Hail to the Chief when President Gerald Ford visited Buffalo Grove High School during a campaign stop in 1976. After graduating from Buffalo Grove High School in 1978, Sandy went on to major in music at Indiana University and later completed her graduate degree at Northern Illinois University.
Sandy enjoyed a long career as a music educator, beginning as a band director at Oconomowoc Junior High School in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and later as the band director at Hawthorn Middle School in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Throughout her career, she taught private flute lessons to countless young musicians, bringing the same warmth and kindness to her teaching that she shared with everyone around her. Faith was an integral part of Sandy’s life. She was an active member of the Orchard in Arlington Heights, regularly played flute at church services, and devoted much of her time to caring for and ministering to children.
Sandy performs as part of Northshore Concert Band’s annual Lifetime of Music Initiative program.
Sandy’s love of music and service naturally extended into her life with Northshore Concert Band. She performed with the Band for 35 years, encompassing appearances at the Midwest Clinic, National Concert Band Festival, and College Band Directors National Association and National Band Association conventions; concert tours of France, Switzerland, and Germany; and world premiere performances of works by James Barnes, Mark Camphouse, Frank Ticheli, Johan de Meij, Michael Martin, and Jay Kennedy. For many years, she and fellow NCB flutist Jennifer Nelson performed duets at the Barrington Country Garden & Antique Faire, helping raise funds for impoverished women and children in Africa through Hands of Hope. She was also a longtime member of the Band’s Board of Directors.
Whether performing on stage, teaching a young musician, or offering support to those around her, Sandy shared her gifts generously — a spirit that continues to resonate in the music we play and in the community she helped to shape. Her legacy lives on not only in the music she performed, but in the countless lives she touched, encouraged, and inspired.
The Giving Fund in Memory of Sandy Ellingsen
Please consider honoring Sandy Ellingsen’s legacy by supporting the Giving Fund established in her memory through the Orchard Evangelical Free Church’s Music Ministry. Gifts to the fund will benefit the Buffalo Grove High School Band Boosters, where they will be used at the program’s discretion to expand access to meaningful musical experiences for students. Contributions may support the purchase or repair of instruments, the commissioning of new arrangements for marching or concert band, or provide financial assistance for private lessons and summer music camps. In this way, Sandy’s lifelong commitment to music, education, and community will continue to resonate in the lives of young musicians for years to come.
To donate online, click here. Donations by check should be made payable to National Christian Foundation Fund #6352907 with “In Memory of Sandy Ellingsen” on the memo line and mailed to:
National Christian Foundation Greater Chicago
415 W. Golf Road, Suite 19
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Pearls in Memory of Sandy Ellingsen
When asked to share their favorite memories of Sandy, many members of the flute section returned to a simple, unmistakable image: her pearls. She wore them to every Northshore Concert Band performance — elegant pearl studs and a strand at her neck, a signature as constant as her presence in the ensemble. In tribute, members of the Band wore pearls on stage for this concert: some pinned a small strand in place, others brought pieces from their own collections. A quiet gesture that shimmered as a symbol of her enduring grace, uniting us in remembrance and carrying her spirit forward into every note.
Sandy on stage at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall — April 13, 2025.