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Purpose The purpose of the Sudler Trophy is to identify and recognize collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life. The Sudler Trophy will be awarded biannually to a college or university marching band which has demonstrated the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, and which has made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands over a number of years. The trophy has been designed by the distinguished artist Ed Blackwell. It has been executed by Dieges and Clust, who also produce the Heisman Trophy. Consisting of a bronze drum major astride a football stadium and mounted on a marble base, the trophy stands 22 ½ inches high. reflect the biannual presentation of the award. This section will be updated following a meeting of the Sudler Trophy Committee at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Convention in December, 2009. Presentation The formal presentation of the Sudler Trophy will take place at a time and site mutually agreeable to the recipient and to the Sousa Foundation. The recipient will be presented with the traveling trophy, which may be displayed at the recipient’s school during the following year. The school will receive for permanent possession a large plaque, on which will be engraved the names of the university along with current and former marching band directors. The current and all former marching band directors will receive personal plaques, and will be invited to participate in the presentation ceremonies. Each member of the band will receive a personalized certificate. All publicity distributed by the Sousa Foundation will stress that the award has been given for long time contributions of that school and its directors. This is in keeping with the purpose of the award, which is to publicly recognize outstanding achievements by a collegiate marching band over a period of years. This is NOT a contest to select the BEST college band in any given year. “When Walter Camp established the rules for football in
1880, he could hardly have foreseen the effect the halftime break would have on
the course of American music. The
struggle for places in the marching bands that flourish during the football
season can be as spirited as competition for berths on the team itself. For every Rose Bowl trombone player strutting
before a national television audience, there are thousands of aspirants
practicing and hoping to be there someday."...............from “The Story of Louis and Virginia Sudler Louis and Virginia Sudler were long-time supporters of the Sousa Foundation through their tireless efforts and their generous contributions. The many projects that bear their names have been endowed in perpetuity by the Sudlers. Louis Sudler was the rare combination of successful
businessman, a performing artist, and a patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Primarily known for his work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he was chairman emeritus of The Orchestral Association, he had also demonstrated an active interest in bands and band music. Past Sudler Trophy Recipients
Sousa Foundation Executive Committee Dr. Al G. Wright,
Chairman of the Board Paula A. Crider, Committee Chair
All correspondence
and inquiries should be addressed to: Paula Crider |
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| September 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||