American Bandmasters Association. Convention

In the summer of 1928, Edwin Franko Goldman, leader of the Goldman Band; Victor Grabel, conductor of the Chicago Concert Band; and Captain William Stannard, Leader of the United States Army Band, met in Columbus, Ohio to discuss ways of easing the problems facing the leaders of America's professional and military bands. That August, Captain Stannard recorded his vision for the American Bandmasters Association in a letter to Albert Austin Harding, Director of Bands at the University of Illinois, "we conceived the idea of creating an ABA for the purpose of furthering the interests of outstanding American Band Masters, and of interesting composers, arrangers, and music publishers in Wind Band music." The first annual convention of the ABA was held in March of 1930 in Middletown. The Association has met annually since 1930, except for during World War II. The ABA has championed the causes of American bands and bandmasters throughout its history. Its members' accomplishments include the election of John Philip Sousa to the Hall of Fame of Great Americans, the publication of the Journal of Band Research, and the establishment of several awards and prizes, including the Ostwald Band Composition Contest and the Edwin Franko Goldman Memorial Citation.

From the description of American Bandmasters Association archives, 1929-present. (University of Maryland Libraries). WorldCat record id: 32407653

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