Your friends at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music wish everyone a happy holiday and a wonderful start to the new year. The Center will be closed from December 24, 2024 until January 1, 2025. For those who may find themselves in the Urbana-Champaign area over the holiday and wish to have a tour of the Center’s collections, please call 217-377-0764 to schedule a private tour over the break. The Sousa Archives will reopen on January 2 starting at 9am.
News Archive
2024
January
February
- The Modern Trombone and its Performers with Douglas Yeo
- Sousa Archives New Online Saxophone Exhibit Opens Today
- New Exhibit Opens Today Celebrating Black History Month
March
April
- Music Mondays Continues with Percy Grainger
- Ellington Lives! CU International Jazz Day Concert on Sunday
- Dan Fogelberg’s 1973 Martin Guitar on Temporary Exhibit
- Sousa Archives Music Mondays Kicks Off Today
May
- Ellington Lives! Concert Video Goes Live Today
- Foto Fridays Begin Today
- Troy Middle School Band Tour Today
June
July
- Illinois Summer Youth Music Camp Visits This Week
- Images from the Hall Macklin Orchestra Records
- July 4th Holiday Closure
August
September
October
November
December
2023
January
February
March
- International Jazz Day in Champaign-Urbana to Spotlight Trumpet Greats
- International Jazz Day in Champaign-Urbana to Spotlight Trumpet Greats
- International Jazz Day in Champaign-Urbana to Spotlight Trumpet Greats
- Sousa Archives Celebrates International Jazz Day 2023
April
- Closing Out International Jazz Day Celebration 2023
- Celebrating International Jazz Day Sunday
- Celebrating International Jazz Day on Sunday
May
July
August
September
October
- New Exhibit Opens at the Sousa Archives
- Illini Cabaret: Music on Main
- 2023 Folk and Roots Festival Starts Today
- Special Clinic with the Eddie Barbash and KASA Jazz Quartets
- 2023 Folk and Roots Festival Kicks Off October 12
November
- Sousa Archives Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
- Mysterious New Acquisition of Sousa Band Train Crash Photos
- Celebrating WWI Veterans on Veterans Day 2023
- Celebrate Sousa's Birthday Today
- New Exhibit Opens at the Sousa Archives
December
2022
January
February
March
- A Musical Tour of the Imperfect Saxophone Exhibit
- New American Bandmasters Association Exhibit Opens Monday
April
- Music of the 505th Air Force Band of the Midwest
- International Jazz Day Celebration
- Sousa Archives Celebrates International Jazz Day
May
July
- Barbara Blaford's Cornet and Papers Newly Acquired
- Passing of James Keene -- Illinois' Fourth Band Director
August
September
- Salvatore Martirano’s Marvelous Music-Composing Machine In Concert October 4, 2022
- One Community Together through Music Returns October 1, 2022
October
- Folk and Roots Festival Kicks Off October 20
- Special Performance of Center's Restored Contra-bass Sarrusophones
- KASA and Eddie Barbash Quartets Performing for Folk & Roots Festival 2022
- Live Performance of the Sal-Mar Construction on Tuesday
November
- Sousa Archives Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
- Celebrating Veterans Day Through Music
- Celebrate Sousa's Birthday
December
2021
January
February
- Peter Michalove Music and Papers Fully Processed
- Center Acquires the Bruce Vermazen Papers and Research Files on Tom Brown
March
- Singing the Temperance Blues Exhibit Opens Today
- Walkin’ through Champaign-Urbana’s Music Scene with Nick Rudd Presentation
May
- Celebrating America's Roaring 1920s and Prohibition
- Frank Skinner Movie Scores and Audio Recordings Rediscovered
June
- Altgeld Chimes Joins Worldwide Ellacombe Chimes Bicentennial Celebration
- Preserving Altgeld Hall’s Music Legacy
July
August
September
October
November
- Celebrating America's Theater Legacy through the Yolande Oglesby Collection
- Honoring Illinois' Veterans and Military Band Directors
- Happy Birthday John Philip Sousa
December
2020
January
July
- Sousa Archives Acquires the Tim Barnes Doctoral Research Files on Eddie Alkire
- Sousa Archives Now Open for Research and Tours -- By Appointment Only
August
- 2020 Virtual Sweetcorn Festival Recap--First Show
- 2020 Virtual Sweetcorn Festival Kicks Off Saturday
- Virtual 2020 Sweetcorn Festival August 22, 2020
September
- Sousa Archives Acquires the Carl Landrum Historical Bands Collection
- 2020 One Community Together Recap -- Show Number 5
- Meet One of the Center's Graduate Assistants -- Nolan Vallier
- 2020 One Community Together Recap -- Shows 3 & 4
- Willie T. Summerville and Summerville Family Papers Now Fully Processed
- 2020 One Community Together Programming Recap -- Show Number 2
October
- 2020 One Community Together Recap - Show Number 9
- Virtual Folk & Roots Festival Starts Today
- Sousa Archives Sponsors October 23-24, 2020 Virtual Folk & Roots Festival
- 2020 One Community Together Recap -- Show Number 7
- Meet Sousa Archives' Newest Student Staff Member
- 2020 One Community Together Recap -- Show Number 6
November
- Sousa Archives Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
- Celebrating America's Veterans Today and Tomorrow
- Celebrating John Philip Sousa's Birthday
December
2019
January
- Sousa Archives Sponsors Premier of Historic 1930 "Borderline" Silent Movie with Live Orchestra Performance
- Sousa's Pewter Ship Decanter Restored
February
- Renée Baker and the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project Visits Campus for Black History Month
- Beautiful Music around Us: Exploring America’s Evolving Artistic Dialogues of Race and Identity with Renée Baker and the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project Ensemble
March
April
- International Jazz Day Film Festival and Performance
- Contemporary Conversation on the Role of Museums at the University of Illinois
May
July
- New Prohibition Exhibit Opens Today
- Sousa Archives’ One Community Together Programming for Sweetcorn Festival 2019
October
November
- Sousa Archives Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
- Mementos from the Women’s Symphony Orchestra of Chicago Opens Today
- New Addition to the Sousa Archives' Collections
December
- Sousa Archives Closed December 24, 2019 - January 1, 2020
- Sousa Archives Acquires Letritia Kandle's Small Letar
2018
January
- Urbana-Champaign Local Music Oral History with Rose Marshack and Rick Valentin About the Poster Children Band
- John Philip Sousa's "University of Illinois March" December Podcast
February
March
- Film Screening and Discussion with Anthony Brown about the Documentary "Don't Lose Your Soul: The Music of Anthony Brown and Mark Izu"
- Urbana-Champaign Local Music Oral History with Donnie Heitler
- Sousa Archives Celebrates International Jazz Day On April 24, 2018
- University of Wisconsin Russian Folk Orchestra In Concert
April
- The David Blakely Family-John Philip Sousa Saga
- From Russia with Love Concert on April 22nd and Jazz Film Festival on April 24
- John Philip Sousa's Women Soloists March Podcast
- More Exciting April Music Programming from the Sousa Archives
July
August
- Sousa Archives' One Community Together Programming for Sweetcorn Festival 2018
- Celebrating Lincoln and America's Legacy of the Wide Awakes Movement
September
October
- Samuel S. Stewart and America's Banjo Exhibit
- Banjos, Banjos, Banjos -- Stephen Wade Kicks Off American Music Month
- Sousa Archives 2018 American Music Month Celebration Kicks Off Early in October
November
- John Philip Sousa – America’s Legacy through his Music Exhibit December 19-21, 2018
- Sousa Archives Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
- American Music Month Celebration Continues with Renée Baker
- Harry Partch Exhibit Opens at University Library Marshall Gallery
December
2017
January
March
- Trumpets Unleashed for C-U International Jazz Day Celebration April 25th
- 2017 International Jazz Day Celebration with Historic Films, Live Jazz, and Much More
- Etherphonic Theremin Orchestra Performance on March 4th
May
June
- Barbara Anderson Papers and Sousa U.S. Stamp Collection New Addition to Sousa Archives Holdings
- Arnold Lamont Chick Sousa Band 1919-1929 Photographs and Papers Added to the Sousa Archives Collections
July
August
- 2017 Sweetcorn Festival “One Community Together” Programming Kicks off August 26th
- Sousa and Tsar Nicholas II’s Birthday: An Unexpected Tour Adventure Exhibit Opens Today
September
October
- Illinois' Anti-Establishment Soundscapes Exhibit Opens Today
- “From Russia with Love:” John Garvey’s Russian Folk Orchestra Exhibition Opens Today
November
- Sousa Archives Closed for 2017 Thanksgiving Holiday
- American Music Month Continues on Friday with "Mandel-Fieldsteel-Wahls: Retrogression and Evolution" Concert
- Saturday's Champaign-Urbana Folk and Roots Festival For All Ages Family Programming
- Sousa Archives American Music Month 2017 Celebration Kicks Off Today
December
- Sousa Archives Closed December 23, 2017 - January 1, 2018
- John Philip Sousa's Love of American Baseball November Podcast
2016
January
- Sousa Archives Receives New Addition to the Association of Concert Bands Records
- Sousa Archives Closed Friday and Monday
- Sousa Archives Acquires the Records of the 505th Air Force Band of the Midwest
February
- Copland, Stravinsky, and Hindemith Transcription Discs from 1950-1951 Transferred to the Sousa Archives
- Mattoon Middle School 6th Grade Class Visits the Sousa Archives and Flat Sousa Today
March
April
- University's Illinois Wind Orchestra Performs Concert on May 3
- Sousa Archives Celebrations International Jazz Day
- James L. Benefiel Papers and Music Instruments Added to Sousa Archives Collections
May
July
- Sousa Archives' "Stage Center Slides!" Exhibit Opens Today!
- Sousa Archives Completes the Archival Processing of the 505th Air Force Band of the Midwest Records
August
September
- New Sousa Archives Trombone Exhibit Opens Today
- Urbana-Champaign Local Music Oral History with James Michael Powers
October
- New Henry Fillmore Exhibit Opens Today to Kick Off American Music Month 2016
- American Music Month 2016 Kicks Off on November 1st
November
- Chasing the Metamorphic Music and Life of Henry Fillmore Lecture and Concert December 2nd and 3rd
- Sousa Archives Closed for 2016 Thanksgiving Holiday
- Historic 1927 Photograph of Marching Illini on Roller Skates Donated to the Sousa Archives
- Richard E. Brooks: 50 Years of Fine Arts Photography Exhibition Opens Today
- Doug Yeo Lecture, Masterclass, and Performance with Marching Illini For American Music Month 2016
December
- Sousa Archives Will Be Closed December 23 to January 2
- December 3rd Concert Honors the Life and Music of Henry Fillmore and His Canine Friend, Mike
2015
January
- Sousa Archives Acquires James W. Beauchamp's Harmonic Tone Generator
- Sousa Archives Opens 2015 with the Sights and Sounds of its Newly Restored Deagan 4728 Marimba-Xylophone
February
March
April
- Sousa Archives Celebrates International Jazz Day on April 28th
- 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Band Visits Sousa Archives Over the Weekend
- New Recording Made from the Center's Humboldt Brass Band Music Books
- New Temporary Exhibit Opens at Sousa Archives for Boneyard Arts Festival
May
- Sousa Archives' Civil War Horns Played for the Lincoln Funeral Recreation Events held in Springfield, Illinois
- Richard Cogdal Describes A. Austin Harding and his University Band’s Experiences between 1935 and 1940
- Richard Cogdal Describes A. Austin Harding and his University Band's Experiences between 1935 and 1940
June
- Sousa Archives' New Harry Partch Exhibit Opens Today
- Sousa Archives Staff and Flat Sousa Say Goodbye to Zak, Emily, and Rory
August
- 2015 Sweet Corn Festival "One Community Together" Programming August 28-29
- Sousa Archives Staff & Local Music Preservation Colleagues Attend 2015 Society of American Archivists Meeting
- Sousa Archives Closed August 21, 2015
September
- Pierre-Louis Gautrot’s Sarrusophone: A Maverick of the Woodwind Family Exhibition Opens Today at the Sousa Archives
- Sousa Archives' New Exhibit of the Harmonic Tone Generator Opens Today
October
November
- Lawrence Gushee Papers Finding Aid Project Completed
- Sousa Archives Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
- Champaign Central High School Marching Band Visits the Sousa Archives Today
- Honoring America’s Regimental Band Legacy at the University of Illinois with the Marching Illini on Saturday during the Illinois-Ohio State Football Game Halftime Show
- Special Lecture at Noon Today at the Sousa Archives by Chris Rainier on the Use of the Guitar in the Works of Harry Partch
- Harmonic Tone Generator Lecture at Noon Today at the Sousa Archives
- Celebrate Sousa’s 161st Birthday with the Sousa Archives Staff on November 6, 2015
- New American Music Month Exhibit Opens in the University Library's Marshall Gallery Today
December
2014
January
February
- Eduardo Diazmuñoz University of Illinois Opera Theatre Records Acquired by Sousa Archives
- The Music of Peter A. Michalove: A Special Concert
March
April
- Celebrate International Jazz Day on April 29, 2014
- New Exhibit Opens Today -- World War I with America’s March King
- Rising from the Ashes of Disco: Urbana-Champaign’s Music Scene during the 1980s and Early 1990s
May
June
- University of Illinois' Alma Mater Welcomes Flat Sousa to Campus
- Flat Sousa Introduced to the Records of the Poster Children Rock Band
- Flat Sousa Joins the Illinois Summer Band in a Performance of His "University of Illinois March"
- Flat Sousa Supervises the Archival Processing of the Pogo Studio Audio Recordings
- Flat Sousa Begins His Summer Adventures at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
- Sousa Archives Acquires the Records of the Indie Bands Poster Children and Salaryman, and Twelve Inch Records
July
- Flat Sousa Makes New Friends at Illinois' Second Summer Band Concert on the Quad
- Flat Sousa meets Melissa Oresky, Simon Boerger, and Basia Stanek as they visit the Sousa Archives
- Flat Sousa Visits Meteor Crater
August
- New Exhibition Opens at the Sousa Archives -- "Pogo Studio: Capturing the Sounds of the Champaign-Urbana Music Scene"
- Flat Sousa Jamming with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra
- 2014 Sweet Corn Festival "One Community Together" Programming August 22-23
- Jack Van Camp Photographs of Blues Musicians Donated to the Sousa Archives
- Flat Sousa Visits the Bloomington-Normal Community Concert Band for its Final Summer Performance
September
- Flat Sousa Visits the Library of Congress During Society of American Archivists 2014 Annual Meeting
- U.S. Marine Band Performs for Flat Sousa and the Urbana-Champaign Community
- Managing the U.S. Marine Band’s Library and Special Collections: A Conversation with Chief Librarian and Master Gunnery Sergeant Jane Cross
October
- November 2 "Salute to Veterans with Captain Ian Gindes" Concert Kicks Off 2014 American Music Month Celebration
- Many Voices: The Great War in America’s Songs (New Smithsonian Institution Exhibit Opens at the Sousa Archives Today)
- It Lives! J. C. Deagan’s Marimba Xylophone Returns to the Sousa Archives on October 22, 2014
- New Sousa Archives Exhibit Opens: Professor Harding and the Illinois Bands during World War I
- Sousa Archives Acquires the David Nolan Photographs and Personal Papers
November
- Thanksgiving Holiday Closure
- Sousa Archives' New World War I Sheet Music Resource Goes Live!
- Final 2014 American Music Month Concert on November 20th
- 11-11-11: World War I Remembered through Words and Melody
- Sousa Archives Sponsors Champaign-Urbana Folk and Roots Festival's Family Performances for All Ages November 8
- Celebrate Sousa's 160th Birthday with the Sousa Archives Staff on November 6, 2014
December
- Sousa Archives Closed Over Winter Break
- Flat Sousa Joins the 10th Illinois Regiment Civil War Band in a Performance at the Lincoln Presidential Library
- Sousa Archives' New World War I Sheet Music Resource Goes Live!
2013
October
- 2013 American Music Month Continues With Stephen Wade Lecture and UI Wind Orchestra Concert On October 31st
- University of Illinois Wind Symphony Kicks Off American Music Month 2013 with October 29th Concert
- Welcome to the New Sousa Archives and Center for American Music Website
- Doyle Moore's Autoharp on Loan for Campus Folksong Club Exhibit
November
- Thanksgiving Holiday Closure
- Celebrate American Music Month with the Joshua Redman Quartet on November 21st
- American Music Month 2013 Continues with "Chocolate Woman Dreams the Milky Way" November 20 and 21
- Illinois Experimental Music Studio Photograph Rediscovered
- San Francisco Symphony Concert Continues University's American Music Month Celebration November 15, 2013
- Sousa Archives Rocks to the Beat of Adrian Belew and the Elvis Brothers
- Celebrate John Philip Sousa's Birthday on November 6, 2013
December
- “Under American Skies” Premiere Closes Out University’s 2013 American Music Month Celebration
- Sousa Archives and Center for American Music in the News
- Granny's Porch Concert Closes Out University's 2013 American Music Month Celebration