“I feel like I have 200 new friends!”

These words capped a moving thank you from Brother Michael Colgrass S, Alpha Alpha (National Honorary) 2013, as he accepted his Signature Sinfonian award at Leadership Institute 2013 in front of 210 brothers in attendance. He was presented Phi Mu Alpha’s Signature Sinfonian award in recognition of his accomplishments as a legendary American composer. Brother Colgrass had also been initiated earlier in the evening into the Alpha Alpha chapter as Sinfonia’s latest National Honorary.

Begun in 2006, the Signature Sinfonian program was created as a way to honor those brothers whose professional or philanthropic contributions have brought honor to them as Sinfonians, and thus to the Fraternity as a whole. The official description of the award follows:

Any Sinfonian who has exhibited a high standard of accomplishment in the profession or a commitment to service may be nominated as a Signature Sinfonian. Service or contributions to the Fraternity will not be considered. All nominees must be alumni in good standing. National Honorary members and Man of Music recipients are recognized as Signature Sinfonians without nomination.

Brothers who are nominated need not be musicians or educators, but can hail from any field in which their accomplishments are considered exemplary. We’re proud to present the 2013 class of Signature Sinfonians, whose inclusion will add to the legacy of this prestigious award. Each of these brothers will be presented with a framed certificate, medallion, and pin signifying their award.

Alan Bergman S, Alpha Rho (North Carolina) 1943
One of the world’s most distinguished lyricists, Brother Bergman’s works include numerous TV and film credits, many in collaboration with his wife Marilyn. His TV credits include theme songs for Maude, Good Times, Alice, Brooklyn Bridge, and In the Heat of the Night. The duo were the first lyricists ever to be nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Song (out of five nominated). He and his wife are recipients of the Academy Award for Best Song, and have been nominated several times for their work. They are also recipients of four Emmy Awards. In addition to his frequent collaborations with his wife, Bergman has worked with several renowned film composers such as Dave Grusin, Beta Chi (Colorado) ’53, John Williams, and Henry Mancini. Among his many other awards, he was inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1980.

Michael Colgrass S, Alpha Alpha (National Honorary) 2013
Brother Colgrass won 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Déjà vu, which was commissioned and premiered by the New York Philharmonic. In addition, he received an Emmy Award in 1982 for a PBS documentary “Soundings: The Music of Michael Colgrass.” He has been awarded two Guggenheim Fellowships, A Rockefeller Grant, First Prize in the Barlow and Sudler International Wind Ensemble Competitions, and the 1988 Jules Leger Prize for Chamber Music. Among many other popular works, his Winds of Nagual has become a standard in the repertoire and won the National Band Association’s William D. Ravelli Memorial Composition Contest and the Sudler International Composition Competition. He has also created a method of teaching children – and teachers – how to write music, which was adopted by the Nova Scotia education system for inclusion in the junior high curriculum. These accomplishments highlight a career that has spanned decades, and has included extensive performances with many of the world’s greatest musicians and ensembles. Colgrass is in demand as a speaker and presenter, both on his music teaching methods and as an inspiring instructor on creativity and performance.

John Locke S, Iota Psi (Southeast Missouri State) 1976
Since 1982, Brother Locke has served on the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG) School of Music Faculty as Director of Bands, Director of Summer Music Camps, conductor of the Wind Ensemble, and conducting teacher. He is Past-President of the North Carolina Music Educators Association and of the Southern Division of College Band Directors National Association. In 2002, Locke was nominated for the O. Max Gardner Award, the highest award in the 16-campus UNC system. Locke was elected President of the American Bandmasters Association in 2005 and also received the Albert Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association. And in 2009, Locke became Editor of the Journal of Band Research. Brother Locke is the founder and director of the UNCG Summer Music Camp program, now the largest university music camp in America, enrolling over 1,700 students annually and served by a staff of 150 professionals. He is also the founder of the Carolina Band Festival and Conductors Conference at UNCG.

George Irving Shirley S, Gamma Omicron (Wayne State) 1953
Brother Shirley is a Grammy award winning, internationally acclaimed singer and lecturer. After teaching in the Detroit Public School System early in his career, he became the first African-American singer in the United States Army Chorus. After being discharged from the Army, Brother Shirley began a career with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He also toured with several other internationally acclaimed opera companies. His performance and recording career has spanned the globe, and included his 1968 Grammy award for his role (Ferrando) in the RCA recording of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. Shirley currently holds the title of Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Professor of Music at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. The title is named after Sinfonia’s 1960 Man of Music, Joseph Maddy, who was a pioneering figure in American music education.

Nominations
Brothers may nominate qualified candidates to become Signature Sinfonians at any time during the year by completing the application (available in the Guide to Awards) and forwarding it to the National Headquarters. The annual deadline is April 1. The Awards Committee will review the nominations and recommend their recipient choices to the National Executive Committee for final approval.