Event Type : Birthday

Colonel John R. Bourgeois was born on August 31st, 1934

Colonel John R. Bourgeois was initiated at Loyola University New Orleans’ Zeta Pi chapter in 1956. He is well known for his career with the United States Marine Band that spanned nine presidential administrations and serving as the ensemble’s director from 1979 to 1996.

It all began with “The President’s Own” in 1958 when he joined as a French Hornist and arranger shortly after joining the Marine Corps. Later, as the ensemble’s director, Col. Bourgeois was the Music Advisor at the White House. He selected all the musical programs there and directed the band for four Presidential Inaugurations. He regularly conducted the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House appearing there more frequently than any other musician in the U.S.

Since retiring from the Marine Band, Bourgeois has been actively involved in music as a guest conductor, has published new editions of classic band compositions, and was named Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia’s “Man of Music” at the 50th National Convention in 2000.

Leonard Slatkin was born on September 1st, 1944.

Brother Slatkin was a 1987 initiate of the Alpha Alpha Chapter and has conducted virtually all the leading orchestras in the world. Born to a gifted musical family, Slatkin began studying conducting with his father, followed by Walter Susskind at Aspen and Jean Morel at Juilliard. An early conducting debut as artistic director and conductor of the New York Youth Symphony launched an extraordinary 50-year career that has earned him six Grammys and thirty-three nominations, rank in the French Legion of Honor, and a U.S. National Medal of the Arts.

Over the years, Slatkin has led several orchestras; highlights include the San Francisco Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C., and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He currently serves as Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and Directeur Musical Honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL) in France.

At the 49th National Convention in 1997, Brother Slatkin was awarded the Fraternity’s Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award for his outstanding dedication to the arts as a composer and conductor.

Archie N. Jones was born on September 20th, 1900.

Brother Jones was initiated into the Alpha Mu Chapter at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 1929. Jones was a past National President of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Dean of the University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory of Music. Brother Jones served as Phi Mu Alpha’s National President from 1950 to 1960, holding the record as Sinfonia’s longest-tenured president. Throughout his life, he was a constant and significant influence on the world of music advocacy.

During his career at the Conservatory in Kansas City, Jones was instrumental in the creation of the American Choral Directors Association. In February of 1959, a group of 35 choral conductors from across the country and formed ACDA as a way to promote excellence in the field of choral music through performance, education, composition, and advocacy.

Coinciding, with his active involvement in music advocacy, his tenure as President placed great emphasis on the Fraternity’s role in the advancement of music in America. To honor his dedication to the Fraternity’s Object and contributions to American choral music, Brother Jones was named Phi Mu Alpha’s 7th “Man of Music” at the 1964 National Convention in St. Louis, MO.

Earl V. Moore was born on September 27th, 1890.

Brother Moore was an alumnus of the University of Michigan and a 1914 initiate of the Epsilon Chapter. As a student, he served as the university organist starting in 1915 and would become a prominent figure in the school’s musical community. Moore served as director, and after a change in governance, dean of the U of M School of Music from 1923 to 1960. He composed several of the fight songs that the University of Michigan Marching Band still plays to this day.

As part of the long-range plans for the development of new land acquired by the university, a new school of music was to be constructed. In honor of Moore, the new building was named the Earl V. Moore Building and still stands today. When the building opened its doors in the summer of 1964, a special ceremony bestowed honorary degrees on Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Alice Saarinen, and Earl V. Moore.

For his significant contributions to the University of Michigan and dedication to America music, Brother Moore was named the Fraternity’s 3rd “Man of Music” at the 1956 National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Joseph E. Maddy was born on October 14th, 1891.

Joseph Edgar Maddy was a pioneer in early American music education and a renowned orchestra conductor.

Initiated into the Epsilon Chapter at the University of Michigan, Brother Maddy was famous for being a champion of music advocacy for the youth of America. It was this passion that led him to establish the National High School Orchestra Camp, which would later take shape as Interlochen Center for the Arts. Today, Interlochen’s Summer Arts Camp is internationally known for being a summer learning center for students of all ages. Attendees receive instruction in music and the arts from some of the most exceptional teachers in the world.

For his selfless contributions and undying dedication to music advocacy, Joseph Maddy was awarded the “Man of Music” Award at the 1960 National Convention.

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.

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.