Chesapeake International Artists was formed as a natural outgrowth of its Director’s involvement with a number of performing artists whose needs went far beyond the advice he rendered as a teacher of the Business of Music at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.  Bill Nerenberg’s experience in the music business goes back 55 years to his first professional engagement at the age of fourteen.  “I got $6 for playing in a big band and doing a prom in a very small town in Nebraska; I think it was called, Gretna.  I thought ‘wow, this is wonderful’ and vowed to go after more.”

Nerenberg played (woodwinds) professionally off and on for the next 20years.  This experience led him to form a relationship with one of his idols, Herbie Hancock.  One day when Hancock was visiting, he asked if Nerenberg would be interested in going on tour with him – as his road manager.  “It took me about two, maybe three seconds to think it over and say, ‘Yeah!’”, he recalls.  From there, Nerenberg went on to be active in touring and general management as well with Hancock, the Pointer Sisters, jazz luminaries Tony Williams, Eddie Henderson and John Handy, English rock bands 10 CC, Sad Café and numerous others.

After a hiatus of a number of years when he altered his course to the management of trade associations and professional societies (he was a co-founder of the National Vehicle Leasing Association and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children), Nerenberg retired in 1996.  But one year later, feeling far too energetic to stay retired, he became the Managing Director of the Shriver Hall Concert Series at the Johns Hopkins University, one of the country’s most prestigious chamber music series.  After a four-year run there during which time he helped to build a sizable endowment and raised subscriptions to an all-time high, his friend Bob Sirota, Director of the Peabody Institute asked him to come to the conservatory and start to counsel students on their careers and help them with development of their professional materials and engagements.  He did so on a volunteer basis, not accepting a salary and also becoming a Trustee of the Institute and making a sizable financial contribution with his wife, Dr. Dorothy Rosenthal.

Being a person of boundless ideas and energy, he had also formed Chesapeake International Artists in 1997.  “I was anxious to try the use of some of the marketing techniques we used in the pop and jazz genres,” he said.  Today, the artists on CIA’s roster are enjoying the benefits of all that experience.  Bill has additionally found time to serve on numerous boards and committees within Baltimore’s burgeoning music community including the Baltimore Symphony Associates, Community Concerts at Second, Handel Choir of Baltimore, Concertante, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.  He also co-founded and directed two successful New Baltimore Chamber Festivals in 2002 and 2004.  Currently, he is a board member of Musiknow as well as still serving as a Peabody Trustee.

“The artists on my roster at CIA are people whose talents I deeply respect and admire,” he says.  “I am happy to be involved in the development of their careers and hope to remain so until I just can’t work anymore.  I have a big sailboat sitting in the marina by my house, and someday, I hope to sail her every day, but not now!”

William A. Nerenberg

Founder and President

The Chesapeake International Artists

As a classically trained pianist, Ivana Pechnik-Román Lipscomb has always been passionate about the performing experience and every facet involved in its preparation and organization.  Ivana grew up in the culturally and musically rich environment of Belgrade, (former) Yugoslavia—her hometown.  Music played an important role in the life of her family.  Being a professionally trained conductor, her father was the Head of Music Production, the Artistic Administrator, Concert Organizer, and Music Consultant for both classical and jazz music at Radio-Television Belgrade (Radio-Televizija Beograd) for over 30 years.  Her mother, an English language professor at the University of Belgrade, was an amateur soprano and an avid music aficionado.

Ivana still recalls the first time she experienced a live performance.  She was seven years old and had been studying piano for two years when her father took her to hear Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto in B flat minor.  It was one of her most exciting childhood memories, which with certainty influenced her decision to become a professional musician.  From then on her life was filled with music, and when she enrolled in the Josip Slavenski Music High School, attending concerts became a weekly social event for her and her peers.  Since her father was a concert organizer for all the major Belgrade venues, she was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to attend any rehearsal or performance she wished to see.  This was an integral part of her development as a trained musician, and all of these influences shaped her desire to eventually enter the world of arts management.

Unfortunately, after completing her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance at the Academy of Music Art in Belgrade, war broke out in her native country.  Ivana fled to the United States for a fresh start and to continue her post-graduate studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.  Two years later she was offered a full scholarship and a piano teaching assistantship at the Florida State University College of Music, where she received her Master’s degree.  After her graduation, she relocated back to Baltimore, and shortly thereafter received the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) Individual Artist Award for Solo Performance.

With her musical studies completed, Ivana taught piano and worked for several years in administration for the Music Education, Audio-Visual, and Recording Arts departments at The Peabody Conservatory of Music.  These experiences allowed her to interact with musicians from many different cultures and backgrounds, and establish wonderful friendships—ones she nurtures to this day.  Her ultimate goal, however, was to follow in her father’s footsteps—promoting music and helping artists succeed in their careers.  She believed that her music education, work experience, and—above all—her love of music and performing were ideal prerequisites for such a role.

In order to enhance her knowledge and better prepare herself for arts management, Ivana began volunteer work for the Orchestra Personnel Manager of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Manager of the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra.  She also enrolled in the MBA program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Business.  She acquired a graduate business certificate before terminating her MBA studies to move to New York City and work for the renowned Colbert Artists Management.

Following the birth of her son Arthur a few years later, Ivana and her husband decided to leave New York and move back to the Baltimore/Washington area, where she continues to work for artists as Vice President of Chesapeake International Artists.  She hopes to work in the service of artists for the rest of her life.

Ivana Pechnik-Roman Lipscomb

Vice-President