Association of Concert Bands

Association of Concert Bands
Name	Association of Concert Bands
Formation	1977
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International
Leader title	Executive Director

Association of Concert Bands is a nonprofit organization that supports community concert bands, wind ensembles, and amateur wind musicians through resources, advocacy, and performance opportunities. It acts as a network linking conductors, composers, educators, and civic arts organizations across the United States and internationally. The association promotes repertoire development, commissioning, and standards for wind band performance while collaborating with music publishers, universities, and cultural institutions.

History

The organization was founded in the late 20th century by a coalition of community band leaders, civic arts advocates, and conservatory faculty seeking alternatives to university-centric ensembles; early supporters included conductors from the American Bandmasters Association, administrators from the National Endowment for the Arts, and faculty from institutions such as the Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music. During the 1980s and 1990s it expanded membership through partnerships with regional arts councils, municipal parks departments, and veteran organizations, drawing connections to festivals like the Midwest Clinic and the National Band Association events. Significant milestones involved collaborations with publishers such as Kjos Music Company, Hal Leonard Corporation, and Belwin Mills to disseminate new scores and with composers affiliated with the American Composers Forum and the College Band Directors National Association. The association responded to changes in municipal funding and playlisting trends by developing programming resources influenced by ensembles like the John Philip Sousa Band and repertory championed by conductors associated with the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Organization and Membership

Membership categories include individual conductors, ensemble memberships for community organizations, corporate memberships for publishers, and affiliate status for educational institutions such as the Conservatory of Music divisions at universities like Indiana University Bloomington and University of Michigan. Governance typically comprises a board of directors with representatives drawn from professional organizations like the American School Band Directors Association and advisory panels including laureates from the American Bandmasters Association and administrators from municipal arts agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts panels. Regional chapters coordinate with state arts councils and municipalities including the City of New York arts programs and the Los Angeles County cultural affairs offices. Corporate partners and sponsors have included major publishers, instrument makers such as Yamaha Corporation and Conn-Selmer, and recording labels associated with wind repertoire.

Activities and Programs

The association runs annual conferences, regional workshops, and webinars in collaboration with institutions like the Library of Congress music division, the Smithsonian Institution’s music programs, and university wind departments at Boston University and Northwestern University. Professional development offerings bring together guest conductors, composers, and educators who have worked with ensembles such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic’s wind faculty. It provides adjudication services for community festivals, maintains a resource library of parts and scores used by bands affiliated with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and municipal bandstands, and publishes periodicals and newsletters distributed through channels similar to the Journal of Band Research and the College Music Society. Partnerships with philanthropic foundations including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation have supported outreach grants and residencies.

Repertoire and Commissions

The organization advocates for extended repertoire beyond marches and transcriptions, commissioning works from composers associated with the American Composers Orchestra, the Conductors Guild, and individual creators such as composers who have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Music and recipients of the Guggenheim Fellowship. Commissioned pieces have been premiered by community ensembles and recorded by labels connected to the International Trumpet Guild and the Percussive Arts Society. The association curates recommended lists that feature works performed by ensembles like the Eastman Wind Ensemble and the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, and it maintains an archive of contemporary scores reflecting trends spotlighted at the Biennial Band Directors Conference and the Midwest Clinic. Collaborations with publishers such as G. Schirmer and Boosey & Hawkes help facilitate distribution and licensing.

Competitions and Festivals

The association organizes competitive and noncompetitive performance opportunities, including invitational festivals modeled after the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s community programs and juried showcases similar to events at the Carnegie Hall community stages. Adjudicated contests use panels comprising members of the American Bandmasters Association, staff from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra music education offices, and returning guest conductors from conservatories such as the Curtis Institute of Music. Regional festivals are often co-sponsored by municipal cultural departments, military bands such as units from the United States Marine Band and ensembles participating in national gatherings like the National Memorial Day Concert.

Education and Outreach

Educational initiatives include youth band mentorship programs, conductor apprenticeships in partnership with university wind programs at University of North Texas and Cleveland Institute of Music, and community engagement projects modeled on outreach by organizations such as Essentially Ellington and the El Sistema-inspired programs. The association provides resources for lifelong musicianship, cross-cultural exchange projects that have connected with ensembles in Canada, United Kingdom, and Japan, and grants supporting performances in civic venues ranging from municipal bandstands to major halls like the Lincoln Center. Workshops and masterclasses feature clinicians drawn from conservatories, national arts organizations, and professional ensembles to support repertoire literacy and ensemble leadership.

Category:Music organizations Category:Wind bands Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States