American Bandmasters Association

The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) is a professional organization serving conductors, teachers, directors, composers, performers, institutions, and related participants in the concert-band and wind-band field. It was established in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman, a prominent American bandmaster who believed that concert bands deserved greater artistic recognition and stronger professional standards. At the time, bands were often regarded as less prestigious than symphony orchestras. Their performances frequently took place outdoors or in venues that were not associated with elite concert culture; many conductors had limited access to specialized musical education; the available repertoire was heavily concentrated in marches or adapted orchestral works; and leading bandmasters lacked a unified professional community. The ABA was created to address these conditions through leadership, recognition, collaboration, and the development of original music for band. The association’s stated purposes center on three related goals: honoring exceptional achievement through invited membership, encouraging important composers from any country to write for concert band, and strengthening the place of the concert band and its music within broader cultural life. Membership is selective and invitation-based. It is intended for exemplary conductors, teachers, and directors who have made significant contributions to wind-band performance, education, or leadership. Within the wind-studies community, ABA membership is regarded as one of the field’s highest professional distinctions. The organization also maintains an associate membership category for firms, organizations, and individuals in the music industry or related fields who have a close relationship with the association. The ABA’s influence extends across three principal areas: literature, performance, and pedagogy. Through commissioning and advocacy, it has helped expand the serious concert-band repertoire beyond marches and arrangements. Works associated with its commissioning activity include Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, Vincent Persichetti’s Pageant, John Mackey’s Strange Humors, and Timothy Mahr’s Endurance. These commissions illustrate the association’s long-term interest in giving wind bands original works by significant composers and in treating the medium as a substantial artistic form rather than merely a functional or ceremonial ensemble. The organization also supports professional recognition and research. Its Sousa/Ostwald Award recognizes distinguished compositions for band, while the Journal of Band Research contributes to scholarship and professional discussion concerning wind-band literature, history, performance, and education. The ABA’s archival and research resources are associated with the University of Maryland’s Special Collections in Performing Arts, which provides access to historical materials concerning the organization and the wider band movement. The publication Lest We Forget records current and historical officers and members and is updated periodically. Leadership has included major figures in American band history, including Goldman, Karl King, Charles O’Neill, Herbert L. Clarke, Henry Fillmore, and William D. Revelli. John Philip Sousa served as the association’s first honorary life president. The current president identified in the available reference material is Michael J. Colburn. The ABA remains an active professional association whose principal role is not commercial product sales but the cultivation of excellence, status, repertoire, scholarship, and collegiality in the concert-band profession.

The American Bandmasters Association was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman during a period when the concert band was seeking a more secure artistic and professional identity. American bands had broad public visibility, but their cultural status was often lower than that of symphony orchestras. Outdoor performance settings, uneven opportunities for conductor training, a repertoire dominated by marches and arrangements, and limited cooperation among leading bandmasters all contributed to that imbalance. Goldman’s initiative brought prominent figures together around the idea that the concert band should be treated as a serious musical institution with its own repertoire, standards, and professional leadership. From its foundation, the ABA used selective membership as a form of recognition. Rather than functioning as an open mass association, it invited conductors, teachers, and directors whose careers demonstrated exceptional achievement in the wind-band field. This helped establish membership as a mark of distinction and gave leading practitioners a formal network through which they could share ideas and advocate for the medium. John Philip Sousa became the organization’s first honorary life president, linking the new association to one of the most influential traditions in American band history. A central part of the ABA’s historical contribution has been the encouragement and commissioning of original music. The association sought to persuade prominent composers to write directly for concert band, thereby reducing dependence on transcriptions and expanding the expressive possibilities of the medium. Works connected with this activity include Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger, Pageant by Vincent Persichetti, Strange Humors by John Mackey, and Endurance by Timothy Mahr. Together, these works represent different generations and styles of wind-band composition and demonstrate the association’s continuing interest in repertoire that can support both artistic ambition and advanced performance. The organization’s work has also developed through performance and pedagogy. By recognizing exemplary conductors and teachers, sharing professional knowledge, and promoting a stronger relationship between band directors and composers, the ABA has contributed to the institutional development of wind-band education. Its activities have helped frame the band director not simply as an ensemble administrator or marching specialist, but as a musician, educator, curator of repertoire, and cultural leader. The ABA later broadened its role through awards, publishing, and research. The Sousa/Ostwald Award provides recognition for important compositions for band, while the Journal of Band Research supports historical and analytical study of wind-band literature and practice. The association’s historical records and research materials are connected with the University of Maryland’s Special Collections in Performing Arts. Lest We Forget, a regularly updated publication, documents the organization’s officers and membership and helps preserve institutional memory. Leadership over the decades has included Edwin Franko Goldman, Karl King, Charles O’Neill, Herbert L. Clarke, Henry Fillmore, and William D. Revelli. Their inclusion reflects the ABA’s connection to major traditions in American band performance and education. The current president listed in the available reference material is Michael J. Colburn. Today, the ABA continues to operate as a professional and cultural association focused on recognition, original repertoire, performance quality, education, research, and the long-term advancement of the concert and wind band.

• 1929

  Association founded

  [1]American Bandmasters Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Edwin Franko Goldman founded the American Bandmasters Association to improve the professional standing of concert bands and promote their music.

• John Philip Sousa becomes first honorary life president

  [1]American Bandmasters Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Sousa was recognized as the association’s first honorary life president, connecting the ABA with a major figure in American band history.

• Original concert-band repertoire commissions

  [1]American Bandmasters Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The ABA supported commissions that became important works in the wind-band repertory, including Lincolnshire Posy, Pageant, Strange Humors, and Endurance.

• Research and publishing activities established

  [1]American Bandmasters Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The association developed publishing and research initiatives including the Journal of Band Research and the historical publication Lest We Forget.

An elite professional and cultural organization dedicated to advancing the artistic standing, original repertoire, scholarship, education, and leadership of concert and wind bands.

• Professional recognition · 1929

  Professional membership

  Membership is extended by invitation to conductors, teachers, and directors who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievement in the wind-band field. It functions primarily as an honor and professional community rather than as a commercial subscription product.

• Industry affiliation

  Associate membership

  Associate membership is available by invitation to firms, organizations, and individuals in the music industry or related fields who maintain a close relationship with the association and the broader band community.

• Scholarly publication

  Journal of Band Research

  The Journal of Band Research is an association-related scholarly publication supporting research and professional discussion about wind-band history, literature, performance, education, and related subjects.

• Composition award

  Sousa/Ostwald Award

  The Sousa/Ostwald Award recognizes notable compositions written for band. It reinforces the ABA’s long-standing objective of encouraging substantial original repertoire for concert and wind bands.

• Historical publication

  Lest We Forget

  Lest We Forget is a regularly updated publication documenting ABA membership and current and historical officers, helping preserve the organization’s institutional history.

1. 1American Bandmasters Associationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2American Bandmasters Association official websiteamericanbandmasters.org
3. 3American Bandmasters Association Archives, University of Marylandarchives.lib.umd.edu