Below: One of the first gatherings of ABA members.
AMERICAN BANDMASTERS ASSOCIATION
The American Bandmasters Association, founded in
1929, with John Philip Sousa as Honorary Life President, recognizes outstanding
achievement on the part of Concert Band conductors and composers. The
current membership (invitational) comprises approximately 300 band conductors
and composers in the USA and Canada, and 80 Associate Members (music businesses
and corporations that provide significant services to bands and to the
publication of band music.)
* the recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of
Concert Band and its music
* helpfulness and fellowship among members
* an increasingly higher standard of artistic excellence for
the Concert Band, its performers, conductors, and literature
* a constantly greater contribution through the Concert Band
to the musical life and culture of all peoples.
ABA ACTIVITY
MIDWEST CLINIC SESSION
December 19th, 3:30-4:30pm: “Building and Maintaining Quality School Music Programs in the Context of Current Educational Realities”
Presented by Roy Holder, chair, Lafe Cook, Richard Miles, Scott Rush, Denny Stokes of the ABA School Bands Committee, this session will deal with solutions to current issues affecting teachers across the nation. Click here to access the results of the national survey conducted in preparation for this presentation. To receive the survey so that you may participate in this ongoing research please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP ON THE ABA WEBSITE
You can now conveniently renew your ABA membership with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account by clicking here.
SOUSA/OSTWALD COMPOSITION AWARD
The winner of the 2014 Sousa-Ostwald Award is Steven Bryant’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone. The work was commissioned by Howard J. Gourwitz as a gift for saxophonist Joseph Lulloff and the Michigan State University Wind Symphony, Dr. Kevin L. Sedatole, Conductor. The final movement of the work will be performed on March 6, 2015, by the the U.S. Air Force Band at the ABA convention in Reno, Nevada. More about the Concerto for Alto Saxophone can be found on Mr. Bryant’s website: www.stevenbryant.com. Rules and Procedures for entering compositions for the 2015 Sousa/Ostwald Award may be found by clicking here.
ABA LEGACY CD
Harry Begian CD Released
The first ABA compact disc in the ABA Legacy Series, featuring the conducting of Harry Begian, was released at the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic this December.
Contents Include:
HINDEMITH: Symphony in B-flat (performed by the Cass Technical High School Symphony Band)
GRAINGER: Lincolnshire Posy
REED: Armenian Dances, Part I
WAGNER/BAINUM: Liebestod
SOUSA: The Free Lance March
HANSSEN: Valdres
STRAUSS/CAILLIET: Waltzes from "Der Rosenkavalier"
RESPIGHI/DUKER: The Pines of the Appian Way (performed by the University of Illinois Symphonic Band)
The cost of the CD is $15.95, and is available from Shattinger
Music, Naxos and
Klavier (#K 56001). Any profits from the recording will be deposited in the Harris
Fund to help defray costs of future ABA conventions.
ABA NEWSLETTER NEEDS YOU NOW!!
Dick Clardy requests your contribution to our ABA Newsletter:
"As we share stories, anecdotes, professional activities, and other
important happenings with others, we certainly help strengthen the ABA.
For those of you that are not able to attend this convention, it is a
great way for you to stay connected with your fellow members. For you
folks that are almost never able to attend, it is an even more compelling
reason to send a greeting to your fellow members for the Newsletter.
Please share this with your spouse if they are the one more likely to
respond.
ABA will post and send the Newsletter via email to the membership in
mid-October. If any individual wants the Newsletter to be sent to you via
US mail, please advise and I will gladly send. A second Newsletter will be
produced just prior to the convention.
Please also be aware that President Dennis Zeisler and the gracious hosts of
the ABA Convention in Reno for March of 2015 are urging you to mark your
calendar and plan to attend."
Send your updates for the next
ABA Newsletter here.
2015 ABA Convention ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
The 81st Annual Convention of the American Bandmasters Association, will be held from March 3 – 8 in Reno, Nevada. On behalf of my wife Earline, and my co-host Michael Burch-Pesses we are pleased to present “Reno, A Sure Bet”.
You can register when you arrive at the convention.
We have two BIG excursions planned off facility: a cruise with a buffet lunch around Lake Tahoe on theTahoe Queen, and a tour of the National Automobile Museum with a buffet lunch. The price for both of these excursions includes lunch. For those ABA members aspiring to play golf on the PGA circuit the annual ABA Golf Tournament will be held with complimentary lunch. We will also have an ABA Bowling Tournament in the 50-lane bowling center in the hotel. There is a Snack Bar in the Bowling Center.
Please make your travel plans, as well as your hotel reservation at the Grand Sierra Resort immediately. By the way, our room rates have changed since previously announced. The room rate at the GSR Level (Floors 1-16) is $84.75 (Monday-Thursday), and $123.17 (Friday-Saturday). At the Summit Level (Floors 17-24) the rate is $107.35 (Monday-Thursday), and $157.07 per night (Friday-Saturday). The room rates have been calculated with 13% tax and there is no resort fee for ABA members and guests.
Simply call (800) 501-2651, ask for Group Reservations, and mention our Reservation Group Code:ABM13. The Summit Level rooms (Floors 17-27) are the nicest accommodations.
Start planning to attend now! We are happy to report many early registrations, and encourage you to reserve your room immediately if you haven’t already done so. We will also provide FREE shuttle service from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport to the Grand Sierra Resort.
On behalf of Earline, Michael and myself, Welcome to Reno, the Biggest Little City in the World!
82nd Annual Convention
The American Bandmasters Association
San Luis, Obispo, CA
March 1-6, 2016
ABA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
It is a pleasure to announce that the American Bandmasters Association elected 17 new members at the annual convention in Montgomery, AL. Click here to see the newly elected members.
ABA POSITION PAPER AVAILABLE
School Band Directors may be interested in an ABA position paper that was generated by the ABA School Bands Task Force, Bill Gora — Chair, and adopted at the 2006 ABA convention. If so, click here.
NEW PUBLICATION Journal of Band Research: A Repertoire Anthology (1984-1989)
This is a must for the serious conductor of wind music. Author: Dr. Terry Austin, Editors: Dr. John Locke and Dr. William Moody.
For a half century, The Journal of Band Research has been at the forefront of our understanding of wind band repertoire, attracting some of the most important wind
band composers and conductors to write about the great works of the wind band canon. This book is a compilation of many of the great articles that have been published over the past 50 years.
From 1964, Herbert W. Fred discusses Percy Grainger s Music for Wind Band and Vincent Persichetti reflects on his own Symphony No. 6 for Band. From 1971, David Whitwell opens the door into "The Enigma of Copland s Emblems." And in 1973,
Karel Husa writes "Apotheosis of the Earth: Some Thoughts."
Other articles include "Thematic Derivations in the Holst First Suite in E-Flat" by Charles Gallagher (1965), "Hammersmith and the Two Worlds of Gustav Holst" by Robert Cantrick (1977), and "Analysis: Winds of Nagual by Michael Colgrass" by James Mathes (1987).
All told, the 29 articles in this anthology paint a remarkable picture of the wind band world at its best and provide remarkable insights into some of the timeless masterpieces of the wind band repertoire.
Harry Begian CD Released
Journal of Band Research: A Repertoire Anthology (1984-1989)