Michael Ward currently serves as the Director of Music and Liturgy for St. Norbert and Our Lady of the Brook in Northbrook, IL. He has a B.A. in Music Education from Carthage College in Kenosha, WI and is currently pursuing his M.A. in Pastoral Liturgy and Music at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, IN. Michael has been behind some of the first ministries uniting from both St. Norbert and Our Lady of the Brook to serve the needs of all parishioners in the combined Catholic Community of Northbrook. Having been involved in Catholic music ministries since the 8th grade, Michael blends his experiences from all over the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee into his style of music ministry today.

Jeremy Kiolbassa was appointed the Director of Music Ministry at Saint Clement Chicago in Lincoln Park in 2021. As an active performer and composer, Jeremy is a lifelong Chicagoan and previously served as Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Benedict Parish in North Center. Jeremy is an active member of NPM and is looking forward to leading the chapter’s programming.

Victoria Zibell is the Editorial Associate at GIA Publications, Inc. where she has worked since 2013. She has a Bachelor of Science in Music Business, Economics and Business Administration from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, IL and a Master of Arts in Liturgical Ministry from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL. She is a native to the Chicago suburbs and is active in the music ministry at Incarnation Parish in Palos Heights, IL as an oboist, cantor and member of the handbell choir.

Wendy Barton Silhavy is the Senior coordinator for Liturgy and Music in the Office for Divine Worship, Archdiocese of Chicago. She received her BM in Church music from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and her MA in Liturgical Music from St. John’s University, Collegeville. Wendy is a pianist, organist, flutist, choral conductor, and cantor. Her interests in liturgy include the relationship between liturgy and catechesis and the impact of liturgy on our everyday lives.

Matthew was a founding board member of NPM Chicago in 2015 and currently serves as the Music Minister at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Chicago’s beautiful Hyde Park. Previously working in marketing at GIA Publications and Liturgy Training Publications, Matthew is looking forward to returning to the Communications role he inaugurated with NPM Chicago.

Keith Kalemba is a music editor for the World Library Division of GIA. Keith’s first experience with Catholic music ministry was as choir director for the Temple University Newman Center where he also had the privilege of being a delegate to the 1994 World Youth Day celebration in Rome. He is currently on the music staff of St. John of the Cross in Western Springs, Illinois. Formerly, he was on the music staff of Ascension Church in Oak Park. He has also served on the faculty of the Liturgical Music Institute in Huntington, New York.