BOARD | icamusic

ICABOARD

Imagine you hear music. Not just any music. Music inspired by lifetimes of experience, love and loss. Imagine yourself as the connection between composers, musicians, and concert goers. Imagine using the tools you already have to nourish these connections. If you are interested in making a difference in the world of music, join the ICA board.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board President: Robert Krug

Robert W. Krug is a partner at Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. He represents individual clients and major corporations in a broad range of immigration matters, including temporary and permanent employment and family-based immigration, asylum, consular processing, and citizenship matters. He has represented clients before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. consular posts around the world. Mr. Krug has a Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Law degree from DePaul University. He serves as a Board member for the International Chamber Artists.

Board Secretary: Carla Butler

Carla is “Granny” to two lovely grandchildren. Prior to achieving this role, she worked as a consultant on Worldwide Chemical Registration issues after retiring from Lexmark International, where she was a Research Chemist for 20+ years. Carla holds a BS in Chemical Physics from Centre College. While at Centre, she completed her Senior Research Project at Argonne National Laboratory in the High Energy Physics Division. She served as board member and President of the Lexington Talent Education Association (LTEA), a Suzuki music organization in Lexington, Kentucky. During her board tenure, LTEA offered weekly individual and group lessons in Violin, Cello, Piano, and flute with monthly recitals. LTEA also held annual workshops hosting clinicians from around the country. Later, she served on the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra Board.

“I have loved music all my life. I took piano lessons as a child, and I played piano for my childhood church. I became involved with ICA through my daughter, Jocelyn. My husband and I have enjoyed attending concerts which meant traveling from Kentucky. We never regretted making those trips. I will work with the board to further enhance ICA’s reputation as a premiere performance group in the Chicago area. ICA musicians are world class professionals devoted to their art.”

Board Treasurer: Robert Bassill

Robert Bassill is the Director of the MYA Chamber Music Program, MYA’s Strings and Piano Workshop and Sinfonietta during the summer, and a member of the Chamber Faculty as well. Mr. Bassill is active as a teacher and freelance musician around the Chicago area. He is in his seventh year as Director of Orchestra and Music Theory programs at Lake Forest High School. During his tenure at Lake Forest High School, Mr. Bassill has toured with his orchestra on three European tours, and his orchestras have accompanied soloists such as Chicago Symphony Orchestra members Tage Larsen and Patrick Godon. Mr. Bassill received his undergraduate degree in Violin Performance under Mark Zinger at DePaul University, and he holds a Master of Arts in Music Education from Case Western Reserve University. Mr. Bassill currently serves on the Board of Directors for International Chamber Artists.

"I joined the board because I believe in our mission of making outstanding chamber music accessible to everyone!"

Board Member: Jim Crawford

Jim Crawford is Managing Director of TRIAD Capital Management, LLC, a Lake Forest, Illinois based private equity firm. TRIAD focuses exclusively on investments in companies that provide technology-enabled services to federal government agencies. Mr. Crawford is married to an Episcopal priest and has two grown children and five grandchildren. He holds an electrical engineering and computer science undergraduate degree from Princeton University, studied economics at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship and served in the Navy from 1969 through 1972 Mr. Crawford is a member of Princeton’s National Alumni Annual Giving Committee and is a former Chair of that committee. He serves on the board of the endowment foundation for Children's Home + Aid Society of Illinois, and also is Vice-Chairman of the board of directors of IES Abroad, the leading provider of study abroad programs for college students. Earlier in his life Mr. Crawford was a folk and classical guitarist, but these days confines his musical activities to singing tenor in the choir at Church of the Holy Spirit, Lake Forest, and singing to his grandchildren at bedtime when they visit.

“I joined the board of ICA after attending two of its concerts and becoming entranced with how its professionalism, material selection, and intimate venues transform a musical ‘performance’ into a shared musical experience with stunningly skilled ‘friends’.”

Board Member: Carla Slawson

Carla is the Executive Director of the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation, which partners with educational institutions to provide need-based scholarships and leadership development programming for outstanding Chicago-area students at the high school, college and graduate levels. Her professional background has focused on the non-profit sector, specifically in marketing, management and programming in a range of industries including education, performing arts, study abroad, and science safety including positions at IES Abroad, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), The Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, The Skylight Opera Theatre, and The Milwaukee Ballet. Her volunteer work includes serving as the chair of the Northbrook Youth Commission providing youth a voice in local government, as well as previous leadership roles with The Great Books Foundation, numerous schools, and volleyball and soccer organizations in support of her two sons. She earned a BA in Cognitive Science from Vassar College and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has played classical piano most of her life, sung and danced in numerous musical theatre and opera productions, and more recently joined a rock band as a keyboardist and vocalist. Music continues to be the place she finds solace, inspiration, fun and joy.

"I see ICA as a brilliant musical gem that is valuable and worthy of exposure to a wider audience while keeping its commitment to the chamber experience.I look forward to contributing to its organizational growth."

Board Member & Composer-in-Residence: James M. Stephenson

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Leading American orchestras, instrumentalists, and wind ensembles around the world have performed the music of Chicago based composer James M. Stephenson, both to critical praise and the delight of audiences. A formal sense of melody and tonality characterize his music, each embedded in a contemporary soundscape. These qualities, coupled with the composer’s keen ability to write to each occasion, have led to a steady stream of commissions and ongoing projects.

James M. Stephenson earned a degree from the New England Conservatory in trumpet performance, and then went on to perform 17 seasons in the Naples Philharmonic in Florida. His catalog now boasts concertos and sonatas for nearly every instrument. His extensive catalog for all instruments can be heard on over 30 CDs. James Stephenson is also a highly sought-after arranger and conductor. His arrangements have been performed/recorded/broadcast by virtually every major orchestra in the country.

"ICA encapsulates the reason I compose: envisioning the very finest musicians inspiring each other while maintaining complete commitment to the joy of music-making."