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Supported by a USA-250 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

About the Symposium

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts is proud to announce "Sousa in South Dakota: A Symposium." The symposium is a two-day celebration of the life and legacy of composer and conductor John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), an American icon best known for "The Stars and Stripes Forever," the national march of the United States of America.

With the assistance of a USA-250 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the event will feature presentations by scholars, historians, students and archivists as they explore Sousa’s remarkable impact on American music and national culture. Historic displays from the Sousa era will be available for perusal during the symposium.

All events are scheduled to take place in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center. Continuing Education Units are available for teachers. The Symposium is free, but registration is required.

Schedule of Events (subject to change)

Friday, April 10, 2026

• 8 a.m. – Coffee and Opening Reception
• 8:30 a.m. – Welcoming Meeting; Mayoral Proclamation; Welcome from David Earnest, Dean, SDSU College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Piano Eight-hand Performance of “Stars and Stripes Forever”
  • Presentations on Artifacts
    • National Music Museum
    • Sioux Falls Heritage Museums
    • The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
    • The National Museum of the Marine Corps
• 9 a.m. – A Brief History of the Sousa Band’s Pacific Northwest Tours (1896-1927) and the Extended West Coast Summer Tour of 1915, Ron Gerhardstein, Associate Professor of Music, Pacific Lutheran University
• 9:45 a.m. – The Salesman of Americanism on Stage: John Phillip Sousa’s Legacy Building the American and the American Musical Theatre, Tracey Brent-Chessum, University of Central Florida
• 10:30 a.m. – Sousa as Dramatist: The March King, the Theater and the Bits We Don't Like to Talk About. Patrick Warfield, Director, School of Music, The University of Minnesota
• 11:15 a.m. – America’s Golden Age: Baseball and John Philip Sousa, Scott Schwartz, Director, The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music, University of Illinois
• 12 p.m. – Box Lunch Tour, Sousa’s Golden Jubilee Tour Stop in Brookings, South Dakota, Jacob Wallace, Professor of Music, South Dakota State University

Attendees will board buses and view all existing locations associated with Sousa’s stop in Brookings, South Dakota, including the original Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot, the hotel the band used and the Armory where the Sousa Band performed.

• 1:15 p.m. – John Philip Sousa’s History with the Mitchell, South Dakota Corn Palace (1904-1925), Scott Muntefering, Wartburg College
• 2 p.m. – Sousa and the Marine Corps Band, Gunnery Sergeant Charles Paul, Chief Librarian and Historian; The United States Marine Band (The President’s Own)
• 2:45 p.m. – 250 Years of American Military Field Music: From the Revolution to Sousa to The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, CWO 4 Frederick Ellwein (retired), U.S. Army Fife and Drum Corps
• 3:30 p.m. – Beyond the March: John Philip Sousa and the Professionalization of the American Wind Band, Sarah Jo Aymond, Graduate Student, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• 4:15 p.m. – The Remarkable Life of Jay Sims, Sousa’s Right Hand, David and Thomas Reynolds, Local Researchers
• 5:30 p.m. – Symposium Reception, Mosaic Wine Bar and Small Plates

Saturday, April 11, 2026

• 12 p.m. – Archival Displays Open
• 2 p.m. – USA 250th Celebration Concert (tickets are free, but required)
• 5 p.m. – USA 250th Celebration Concert (tickets are free, but required)
• 7:30 p.m. – Archival Displays Close