The National Band Association

AWAPA Award

THE NBA AT ITS BEST.

     The National Band Association was founded on September 11, 1960. This new organization was the dream and brain child of Traugott Rohner, the editor and founder of The Instrumentalist magazine. Rohner set up a meeting with two of the most capable leaders among America's band directors, Al G. Wright, who was at that time Director of Bands at Purdue University, and John Paynter, Director of Bands at Northwestern University, and these two very able leaders established a new, inclusive band organization which grew into the largest band organization in the world.

     Al Wright was the NBA's first president, and he soon became aware of a need to establish a special, high level award program to recognize excellence and exceptional service to bands. The result of this was the establishment of The Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts. This award was established for the purpose of recognizing those individuals who have made truly significant and outstanding contributions to furthering the excellence of bands and of band music, and it was not to be limited to band directors, but to anyone who's contributions were determined to be so outstanding that they deserved and warranted honor and recognition.

     The nine inch silver "AWAPA" figure is designed to be the "Oscar" of the band world. Elections to the academy are made from time to time by the Board of Directors acting upon nominations from the AWAPA Commission. Presentations of AWAPA awards are made at band performances or meetings of national significance. The new recipients of the award are announced at the annual National Band Association Membership Meeting at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago each December, and the honorees from the previous year are invited to attend that meeting for a formal presentation of the award.

     If the recipient is not able to be present at that meeting, the award is presented at another prestigious band event where the recipient is properly honored and recognized.

     The award consists of a silver statuette, a silver medallion, and an engraved certificate. The Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts represents the highest honor which the National Band Association can confer on any individual.

     The NBA represents the best that there is in a great, proud profession. When we honor our very best, we bring honor on our organization and on our profession. A list of the past recipients of the AWAPA Award is literally a "Who's Who" list of some of the greatest leaders involved in the band movement during the past four decades. The list includes an international cross section of important individuals representing all aspects of the band world, who have rendered remarkable service to bands.

AWAPA RECIPIENTS
LISTED BY YEAR OF PRESENTATION:

William D. Revelli November 25, 1961	Harry Mortimer May 2, 1976	Harry Begian December 14, 1983	Richard Strange December 20, 1995

Karl L. King November 10, 1962	George S. Howard December 16, 1976	Francis McBeth December 12, 1984	Harvey Phillips December 21, 1995

Harold D Bachman January 9, 1965	Mark Hindsley March 2, 1978	Norman Dello Joio December 12, 1984	L. Howard Nicar, Jr. October 16, 1996

Glenn Cliffe Bainum February 21, 1965	Howard Hanson December 13, 1978	J. Clifton Williams December 18, 1985	Kenneth Bloomquist December 18, 1996

Al G. Wright March 7, 1969	James Neilson December 13, 1978	Frank W. Erickson December 17, 1986	H. Robert Reynolds December 18, 1996

Harry Guggenheim August 18, 1969	Vaclav Nelhybel December 13, 1978	Neil A. Kjos December 17, 1986	Elizabeth Ludwig Fennell December 17, 1997

Paul V. Yoder December 18, 1969	Leonard Falcone December 12, 1979	Merle Evans December 20, 1986	Arthur Gurwitz December 17, 1997

Toshio Akiyama December 13, 1970	Alfred Reed December 12, 1979	Hugh E. McMillen December 17, 1986	Russell Hammond December 14, 1999

Richard Franko Goldman July 23, 1971	Arnald Gabriel December 16, 1980	Claude T. Smith December 16, 1987	William F. Ludwig December 14, 1999

John Paynter March 5, 1972	Nilo Hovey December 16, 1980	Warren Benson December 14, 1988	John Long December 20, 2001

Richard M. Nixon July 12, 1972	Trevor Ford December 16, 1981	John Bourgeois December 14, 1988	Raoul Camus December 19, 2002

Traugott Rohner February 11, 1973	Vincent Persichetti December 16, 1981	Donald Hunsberger December 19, 1990	Paul Bierley June 14, 2003

Sir Vivian Dunn March 2, 1973	Morton Gould December 15, 1982	Edgar Gangware December 19, 1991	William J. Moody December 18, 2003

Jan Molenaar July 11, 1974	Clare Grundman December 15, 1982	W J Julian December 16, 1992	Earl Dunn December 16, 2004

Frederick Fennell August 3, 1975	Karel Husa December 15, 1982	Geoffrey Brand December 20, 1995	Victor Zajec December 16, 2004

James T. Rohner December 15, 2005	Frank Battisti December 21, 2006	David Whitwell December 20, 2007	Frank Wickes December 18, 2008

Ray Cramer December 17, 2009