Sudler Silver Scroll

On May 2, 2009, the East Winds Symphonic Band was presented with the Sudler Silver Scroll by John Phillip Sousa Foundation representative Gerald Guilbeaux at our annual performance at the Three Rivers Community Band Festival.

What is the Sudler Silver Scroll?

  • An International Award recognizing Community Concert Bands of Outstanding Musical Excellence
  • North America’s most prestigious award for community concert bands is named after Chicago real estate magnate Louis C. Sudler, a patron of the arts who founded the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The John Philip Sousa Foundation is a publicly supported, educational foundation established for the purpose of organizing, sponsoring and administering projects contributing to the excellence of bands and band music throughout the world by recognizing excellence in its many forms wherever it may be found.
  • It was first awarded in 1987
  • We are the 37th band from across the country that have won the award (a complete list is available on the Sousa Foundation’s website)
  • 3 bands including the East Winds Symphonic Band are from Pennsylvania
    • Others from Pennsylvania: The Allentown Band (1990) and the Penn Central Wind Band of Lewisburg (2004)

What is the purpose of the award?

  • To identify, recognize and honor those community bands that have demonstrated particularly high standards of excellence in concert activities over a period of several years, and which have played a significant and leading role, year after year, in the cultural and musical environment of their respective communities.

What is the process?

  • Nominations are received from any source and at any time. The nominations may be sent to the President of the Sousa Foundation or to the Sudler Scroll Chair.
  • An Official Application will be forwarded to the director of the band nominated and the chairman will bring the completed applications to the annual meeting of the selection committee which takes place each year in December at the Mid-West International Band Clinic in Chicago.
  • There is no specific number of community bands that can be honored each year.

What are the criteria?

  • The band must have achieved and maintained particularly high standards of excellence in concert performance and have selected a high level of musical literature over a period of years. The conductor must be incumbent in their position for a minimum of five years including the current year. The band must have a demonstrated record of contributing significantly to the high standards of cultural environment in its community both by its performances and by involving a high percentage of community residents as performers