Howard H. Hanson was born on October 28th, 1896

Initiated into the Iota chapter at Northwestern University in Illinois in 1916, Hanson became a charter member of the Alpha Nu chapter at Eastman School of Music of Rochester, New York in 1925, just one year after being named the director of the school.

As director of Eastman School of Music, Howard Hanson transformed the school into one of the most prestigious music schools in the country. He brought in better teachers, improved the curriculum and refined the school’s ensembles. As a champion of American composition, Hanson premiered over 2000 works by nearly 500 American composers while at Eastman an appeared frequently as a guest conductor for several major American and Germanic symphonies.

At the 1954 National Convention, Hanson became the Fraternity’s second “Man of Music” for his enormous contributions to Eastman and his legacy as a conductor.

Brother John Philip Sousa was born on November 6, 1854.

John Philip Sousa was initiated into the Alpha Xi Chapter at the University of Illinois in 1925. Known as the “March King,” Sousa is famous for composing countless marches and his career with the United States Marine Band. In 1868, Sousa enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as an apprentice, where he remained for the next seven years. After a five year stint with a theatrical pit orchestra, he would return to the band as its conductor in 1880.

Sousa quickly gained a reputation for being a bandmaster of great precision. After leaving the Marine Band in 1892, he organized The Sousa Band, performing concerts around the world. The band would notably perform at the World Exposition in Paris and the Royal Albert Hall in London. Shortly after America’s entry into World War I, Sousa was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve. During the war, he would lead the Navy Band at Great Lakes Naval Station, donating his naval salary, save a dollar per month, to the Sailors’ and Marines’ Relief Fund.

Throughout his life, Sousa composed 136 marches, including “Semper Fidelis,” which became the official march of the U.S. Marine Corps, “The Washington Post,” “The Liberty Bell,” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” Other well-known works include the operettas “El Capitan” and “The Bride-Elect” among several others.

Aaron Copland was born November 14th, 1900.

An Initiate of the Alpha Upsilon Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at the University of Arizona, Copland created a vast portfolio of music that many consider being standards in American music. His career and talent as a composer won him the title “Dean of American Composers,” bestowed upon him by his peers. Pieces such as “Fanfare for the Common Man”, “Lincoln Portrait”, “Rodeo” and “Appalachian Spring” are all standards in describing the American attitude and are just a few that earned him a spot among some of America’s greatest composers. It was because of his influence over American music that President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Copland with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.

Alongside a prolific career in composition, Copland served as Berkshire Music Center’s Head of Composition from 1940 to 1965 and was named the head of the faculty in 1957. During the years that followed, he began to turn his attention more toward conducting, making appearances as a guest conductor all over the United States and the United Kingdom. Despite his fame, Copland didn’t stray from promoting other American composers and their music. He was instrumental in bringing performances of new American works and their composers by supporting the Copland-Sessions Concerts in New York, the American Festival of Contemporary Music, and the American Composers Alliance.

For his contributions to American music and his lifetime dedication to promoting the arts, Aaron Copland was named Phi Mu Alpha’s 9th “Man of Music” at the National Convention in 1970.

Ellis Marsalis, Jr. was born November 14th, 1934.

Initiated into the Delta Epsilon Chapter at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Marsalis has been regarded by many as the premier modern jazz pianist in New Orleans.

After two years of directing the band and choral programs at Carver High School in Breaux Bridge, Ellis returned to New Orleans to freelance the music scene and performed at several venues between 1966 and 1974. During this time he served as an adjunct professor of African American Music at Xavier University.

In 1974, he joined the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) as an instrumental music teacher with a Jazz studies emphasis. Marsalis later returned to New Orleans in 1989 to become the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of New Orleans. During his tenure at UNO, he helped colleague Charles Blancq develop a campus performance center called the Sand Bar, and would also develop a jazz orchestra that he would later take on a tour of Brazil on the eve of his retirement.

Marsalis has appeared on NBC’s Today show with host Bryant Gumbel; the Tonite show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno; the Arsenio Hall show with pianist Marcus Roberts; the Charlie Rose show; Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood; ABC’s Good Morning America with Spencer Christian, as well as several local and regional television shows. In 1984 Marsalis and New Orleans singer/actress Joanne “Lady BJ” Creighton shared honors at the Ace Awards ceremony for the best single music program on cable television.

Most recently Brother Marsalis received the “Man of Music” award in 2015 at the 55th National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Clark Terry, Jr. was born on December 14th, 1920.

A 1968 initiate of the Beta Zeta Chapter at the College of Emporia, Brother Terry was a brilliant jazz musician, composer, and educator. He played with such names as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, and was a regular performer with the Tonight Show Band from 1962 to 1972. Clark is also credited with being one of the most recorded jazz artists in history.

Named the 14th Charles Lutton Man of Music in 1985 at the 45th National Convention, Clark graced us with a special version of his signature piece, “Mumbles,” that ended with “Hail Sinfonia.” He played with an all-star jazz band made up of collegiate and alumni Sinfonians, including Brother John Whitney on piano. It was the first Jazz concert noted at a National Convention, and the original precursor to the 1898 Jazz Orchestra, that is now a regular convention fixture.

Pablo Casals was born on December 29th, 1876.

Casals was initiated into the Epsilon Iota Chapter at Florida State University in 1963.

A world-renowned cellist, composer, and conductor, Casals was named Phi Mu Alpha’s Man of Music in 1973. He founded the Prades Festival and served as its first music director. Casals wrote many oratorios, symphonies, masses, choral works and string quartets but is perhaps most well known for his recordings of the Bach Cello Suites.

Also an internationally renowned political figure, Casals was a voice for human rights. In 1963, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by John F. Kennedy and was quoted as saying,

“This is the greatest honor I have ever received in my life. Peace has always been my greatest concern.”

In 2000, the Pablo  Casals International Cello Competition was created in his name to help discover and further the careers of future elite cellists. His legacy still lives on today through competitions and venues in his namesake, and his passion to sew harmony amongst all through his music.