Above / Members of Stiletto Quartet, comprised of Cat Cattone, Kim Blair, Linda Herza and Lindsey Bondi, dress for every special occasion in their namesake high heels to bring songs from the heart in four-part harmony to parties, the stage and, most recently on Dec. 4, 2019, to Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown.
During the first Rotary Club of Naperville-Downtown (aka Rotary 4:44) weekly meeting in December— and to the pure delight of club President Kevin McQuillan, members and guests— Stiletto Quartet performed songs of the season to kick off the holidays.
To begin the meeting in perfect pitch, the ensemble surprised the Rotary Club with a performance of the club’s signature song, “It’s a Grand Old Flag,” an American patriotic march written by George M. Cohan in 1906 as a tribute to the U.S. flag. In 1942, the spirited song was sung solo by James Cagney in the now-classic movie, “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” The lyrics of the story-telling song prompted the Rotary Club-Downtown to adopt the tune as its opening song to be performed with the Pledge of Allegiance to begin weekly meetings when the small club received its charter in 2007.
While listening to Stiletto Quartet, club members quickly noted that throughout their 13-year history, “It’s a Grand Old Flag” has never, ever sounded better! Perhaps a pitch-pipe and sheet music denoting four chords will help the Rotary club singers, several members suggested.
Stiletto Quartet since 2017
Stiletto Quartet is a women’s barbershop quartet that performs without instrumental accompaniment, a style of a capella vocal harmony ensemble produced by four parts that include tenor, lead, baritone, and bass. The music they sing is written for four voices. For Stiletto Quartet, tenor is sung by Lindsey Bondi of Bartlett, lead or melody is sung by Kim Blair of Naperville, baritone is Cat Gattone of Mokena and bass is Linda Herza of Lombard.
“Stiletto is a registered quartet with Sweet Adelines International, a worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education, competition and performance,” Bondi explained. “Since Stiletto Quartet formed in 2017, the four-woman ensemble has received medals at each of their annual regional competitions.”
The Rotary/Downtown includes Q&A as a valued portion of every meeting. Members were happy to learn that Stiletto Quartet is available for hire for parties and special events.
Certainly their Rotary performance that ended with the quartet’s award-winning rendition of “White Christmas” was proof-perfect that the foursome loves creating harmonies for the enjoyment of others.
Rotarian Aaron Bondi, whose wife performs with Stiletto Quartet, arranged the program for the Rotary 4:44 weekly meeting held at Hugo’s Frog Bar and Fish House in downtown Naperville.
For information about Stiletto Quartet performance availability, contact Lindsey Bondi at StilettoQuartet@gmail.com or (630) 217-7006. Stiletto also has a Facebook page featuring upcoming events, photos, videos, etc., at www.facebook.com/StilettoQuartet.
—PN Story and Photos
