Where Are They Now: Bill Ichord
After a diverse career in business and law, Bill Ichord returns to music and the Interlochen community.
Bill Ichord (back row, third from the left) with cabin HSB 10 at National Music Camp in 1970.
Bill Ichord (IAC/NMC 64-65, 69-70, ICCA 15-24) began playing trumpet at age 8 and first attended Interlochen’s National Music Camp the following summer, beginning a lifelong journey as a musician that continues to this day. He trained as a lawyer with a specialty in energy and the environment and spent much of his early career working at the United States Senate, followed by nearly three decades in executive business positions that took him around the world. Now retired, he has returned to his passion: playing trumpet or flugelhorn in ensembles in the DC area and northern Michigan.
Although he opted not to make music a career, he credits music education with instilling many lifelong lessons: how to listen intently, how to defer to others and work as a team, how to lead and follow, how to study and be prepared, how to respect others with different opinions and ideas, and how to deal with stress and competition. He remains an active member of the Interlochen community, attending the adult symphonic band camp offered through Interlochen College of Creative Arts and volunteering at many student performances.
In the summer of 1970, I not only had the chance to play in WYSO when
Aaron Copland conducted for a week, but also to perform with legendary pianist Van Cliburn. Today’s students deserve to have the same opportunity to experience such excellence. Music and the arts are a foundation for a healthy and successful life, whether you pursue a career in music or another worthy goal.