Charles "Charlie" Ingrassia, an avid student, long time member, volunteer, and concertgoer sadly passed away on February 17, 2019, after a long and courageous battle with cancer, at the age of 39.

Charlie was an attorney, most recently at Adler Murphy & McQuillen LLP. Outside of work, Charlie enjoyed traveling, studying jazz music, and cycling through Chicago and the surrounding areas. Besides volunteering at Old Town School of Folk Music, Charlie was also involved at Compass to Care, a local charity that helps children with cancer raise money for traveling expenses.

Tony Do Rosario taught Charlie at Old Town School since 2009. Charlie started in Intro to Jazz Guitar and progressed through a series of jazz guitar classes. Eventually he took private lessons with Tony, first at the School and then at his home, once a week until his passing. In talking about Charlie, Tony, like so many others, remarked about his endless optimism and positive attitude despite his often very difficult health situation and that he "…may have been one of the strongest human beings I've ever met." In speaking about their shared love of music, Tony said:

• "Charlie and I spoke about music all the time and its significance in both our lives. He would say that music was something that gave him peace and felt it had some kind of healing quality. He expressed that he wished that anyone that had cancer or any other terminal illness could have music as part of their daily life. Charlie felt that when he would play music it would center him. He was a great human being. Anyone would have benefitted having had a friend like Charlie Ingrassia. I believe I look at life differently and am a better human being for having known him."

Old Town School of Folk Music is deeply grateful for the significant number of gifts received in Charlie's honor from friends, family and colleagues. The support is truly indicative of the positive and lasting impact he made on so many people and he will certainly be missed.

Funded by the MacArthur International Connections Grant, Old Town School of Folk Music is proudly partnering with the Wits School of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand for a collaborative artist exchange project supporting emerging artists from the hip hop and jazz communities of Soweto and Englewood, including members from nearby neighborhoods.

During January and February 2019, four local up-and-coming Chicago musicians from our Music Moves and Quantum Englewood programs, led by our neighborhood partner Ernest Dawkins, traveled to South Africa to join with four local up-and-coming musicians there to form the Englewood/Soweto Exchange. This exciting collaboration featured original songs written by band members exclusively for this project and performances at venues throughout Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban, South Africa. Participants were able to build and learn from one another and bond through the exploration of self and group expression, the shared challenges of coming of age as artists, and by finding kinship in the shared joy, language and craft of music.

All the participants were transformed not only by the opportunity to inspire each other but also to foster connections and relationships with young people at local schools, educate while performing on stage in market venues, and bridge professional gig stages with neighborhood spaces. Our Wits University partners were particularly impressed with Old Town School's talent, vision, and ability to connect artistry with often under-resourced neighborhood growth and development--systems and initiatives that are burgeoning or unseen in many of their institutions intent or capacity for that work.

We look forward to welcoming the South African cohort of musicians here in September 2019 to tour Chicago. They will bring their artistry and education to the School here on campus, workshop in Music Moves partnered spaces, and record the material for documentation and future release. They are a remarkable group, keen on showcasing what partnership, open spirit, and transnational music plus social development represents. It also offers the full group along with the Old Town School the range to celebrate the importance of expanding into neighborhood spaces, both local and international, beyond our walls.

Englewood / Soweto Exchange
From L to R:
Ernest Dawkins, Keo Kolwane (SA), Memphis (SA), Brother El, Rashida Phillips, Alexis Lombre, Jeremiah Collier, Chantal Willie-Peterson (SA), Artemis, Thabo Sikhakhane (SA)

Englewood / Soweto Exchange
From L to R:
Artemis, Keo Kolwane (SA), Memphis (SA), Thabo Sikhakhane (SA), Brother El, Alexis Lombre, Ernest Dawkins, Rashida Phillips, Chantal Willie-Peterson (SA), Jeremiah Collier

From L to R:
Ernest Dawkins, US Consul General Sherry Zalika Sykes, Rashida Phillips, Brother El

How/when did you first get involved with the Old Town School? I bought guitar strings at the music store on Armitage probably in early 1995. After that I attended some concerts there (I can't remember what I saw first), but I sort of fell off the map when my kids were little after they took Wiggleworms in the ‘burbs. I came back in via concerts, later joined the Board and started taking lessons in theory and jazz.

After so many years of involvement, what keeps you motivated? It's all about being part of a community of musicians, artists and people who love music and just want it to be a part of their lives. It inspires me. I want to make it stronger, more secure to ensure that it endures.

Favorite performance at Old Town School? There are so many that I can't really say. Seeing Brad Mehldau here was mind-blowing, same with Julian Lage. I love Marshall Crenshaw and never miss a performance. Los Lobos at the Blue Jean Gala was terrific. Sara Watkins solo and with the Watkins Family Hour were amazing. John Doe was great, and Patti Smith was revelatory. I could go on. We have great shows.

What role, in your opinion, does Old Town School play in the cultural landscape of Chicago? The Old Town School plays an essential role in Chicagoland by teaching people to express themselves through music, dance and art—and by providing opportunities to enjoy music, dance and art.

Folk art and music, to me, is the heart of cultural expression because of how it is taught—handed down and made new with every generation. It's a marker of our humanity and it carries the history, passion, hopes and dreams of ordinary people. Making music and art binds people together, elevates and enriches communities and so much more. Imagine a world without it.

Do you play any instrument(s)? If yes, which ones? I play guitar pretty much exclusively. I could be better, but I am counting on the fact that taking lessons (and even teaching a little) will help me improve.

Favorite artist/band? I love too many musicians and artists to count. I can't even pick a favorite style. It's so dependent on mood. I have like 20,000 songs on my phone.

What do you see for the future of Old Town School? I see the future of the School as robustly healthy, serving more of the city and suburbs, nurturing future generations of the folk music community by continuing in the organization's great historical tradition. I am very bought into the idea that Folk is not a thing; it is a way. I think we best honor our past by bringing it with us, making it our own.

Best Old Town School memory? I was in the main entryway/cafe area at 4544 N Lincoln in February, and I saw a guy in his late 40's/early 50's stop to watch a kid wrestling with a barre chord. He said something like, "those are tricky. It's easier if you move your finger a little this way." The kid did. The next chord rang true. The kid smiled and said thanks. The guy smiled, gave him a thumbs up and walked away. It was perfect. It was during my first week on the job.

How is music part of your everyday life and what meaning does it have to you? Music is tremendously meaningful to me. It's one of the pillars of my everyday life. It, along with my love of family and desire to make a positive difference in the world, are pretty much what I focus on.

First memory of playing or hearing music? I don't remember it, but the family lore is that the only way to quiet me down as a baby was to put me on the big console stereo and play Chuck Berry or Ella Fitzgerald.

First concert you went to? Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio singing lead. I was 15. My mom didn't want me to go without a parent, so she attended with my friends and another kid's mom. It was crazy loud. That was pretty much the end of rock concerts for her.

Anything else you'd like to add? I consider this to be one of the great opportunities of my life. I love music, the people who make it and the whole idea that anyone who decides to play music is a musician. It is democratic, it is empowering and it is true.