Purpose
The ITA Award recognizes an elite level of creative and artistic output in areas such as trombone performance, composition, arranging, teaching, conducting, research, and/or service. One award is given each year.
Selection Criteria
Candidates for the ITA Award shall:
- Have made important and outstanding contributions to the trombone community
- Have demonstrated an exceptional level of creative and artistic output
- Have demonstrated outstanding dedication to his/her profession
- Have demonstrated a high level of commitment or service to the ITA
Selection Process
- ITA members may submit nominations for the awards. Each nomination should include a short (under 250 words) biography for each nominee.
- Nominations are closed by the end of the day on January 1 each year.
- Nominations remain active for three years after which time, a candidate may be renominated for consideration for an award.
- Members of the Standing Committee on Awards may not submit nominations for awards.
- If a member of the Committee on Awards is nominated for an award, that Committee member must either resign from the Committee, depart from the Committee for one year, or withdraw their nomination from consideration.
- Once all nominations are received, the Standing Committee on Awards will convene either in person or virtually to discuss the nominations (new nominations as well as those that carry over from previous years) for each award.
- The Committee will, after consideration of the nominees, arrive at consensus and prepare a ballot that lists three nominees for each award. If an award has received fewer than three nominations or if the Committee agrees that there are not three qualified candidates for an award, the Chair of the Committee on Awards shall consult with the Chair of the ITA Executive Board who, in consultation with the Executive Board, decide if additional nominees should be added to the ballot to bring the number of candidates up to three, or if the ballot shall be prepared with fewer than three candidates.
- The ballot shall be prepared by the Chair of the Committee on Awards with (if technical assistance is required) the assistance of the Chair of the Committee on Governance and/or the ITA Executive Director. The ballot shall ask those voting to assign a ranking of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd to each nominee on the ballot.
- The Committee on Awards is to include the submitted biography for each nominee who is on the ballot. These biographies will be included with the ballot.
- On February 1 of each year, a ballot with the candidates for each award shall be sent to the ITA Officers (President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President,), members of the Council of Past Presidents, and members of the ITA Board of Advisors. If a person serves the ITA in more than one capacity, that person may cast only one vote.
- Any ITA Officer, member of the Council of Past Presidents, and member of the ITA Board of Advisors who appears on the ballot for any award may not vote for that award.
- A 1st place vote shall receive 3 points; a 2nd place vote shall receive 2 points; a 3rd place vote shall receive 1 point. Upon tabulation of all votes, the candidate receiving the most votes and who also more than 50% of the total number of points (determined by multiplying the number of people casting ballots by 3), shall be declared the winner of the Award. If no nominee receives more than 50% of the total number of points on the first ballot, the nominee who received the lowest number of points shall be dropped from the ballot and a second ballot shall be distributed with the names of the top two nominees. If the 2nd and 3rd place nominees are tied with the same number of points on the first ballot, the nominee with the most second place points shall advance to the second ballot along with the nominee with the most points. If after the second ballot no nominee receives more than 50% of the total number of points, the Award will not be given.
- Voting shall be concluded by February 1 of each year. Those who vote for awards shall do so anonymously and the results of voting shall go directly to the Chair of the Committee on Awards. The Chair of the Committee on Awards shall collate the ballots and determine the winner of each award. Once winners for each award are determined, the Chair of the Committee on Awards shall inform the ITA Executive Board, members of the Council of Past Presidents, and the members of the Board of Advisors.
Nominations may be sent to the Chair of the ITA’s Standing Committee on Awards at awards@trombone.net.
Previous Recipients
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1972Henry RomersaFounder, International Trombone Workshop
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1973Lewis Van Haney*Former Professor, Indiana University
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1974Buddy BakerFormer Professor, University of Northern Colorado
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1975Robert King*Owner and Founder, Robert King Music Company
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1976Gordon Pulis*Former Principal Trombonist, New York Philharmonic
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1977John Coffey*Former Bass Trombonist, Boston Symphony Orchestra
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1978Stuart DempsterFormer Professor, University of Washington
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1979Thomas Beversdorf*Former Professor, Indiana University
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1980Thomas EverettProfessor, Harvard University
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1981Allen Ostrander*Former Bass Trombonist, New York Philharmonic
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1982George Roberts*Los Angeles based Freelance Trombonist
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1983Leon Brown*Former Professor, North Texas State University
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1984Neill Humfeld*Former Professor, East Texas State University
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1985Urbie Green*Jazz Artist, New York City
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1986Edward Kleinhammer*Former Bass Trombonist, Chicago Symphony
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1987William Cramer*Former Professor, Florida State University
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1988J. J. Johnson*Legendary Jazz Artist
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1989Denis WickFormer Principal Trombonist, London Symphony Orchestra
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1990Frank Crisafulli*Former Trombonist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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1991Christian LindbergVirtuoso Solo Trombonist, Stockholm, Sweden
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1992Juliusz PietrachowiczFormer Principal Trombonist, Warsaw Philharmonic
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1993Larry Wiehe* (posthumously)*Former Trombone Soloist, US Navy Band and US Air Force Band
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1994Robert Isele*Former Trombone Soloist, US Marine Band and Trombonist, National Symphony Orchestra
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1995Vern Kagarice*Professor, University of North Texas
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1996Carsten SvanbergProfessor, Musikhochschule, Graz, Austria
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1997Irvin Wagner*Professor, University of Oklahoma
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1998Carl Fontana*Legendary Jazz Artist, Las Vegas
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1999John Marcellus*Professor, Eastman School of Music
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2000Heinz Fadle*Professor, Detmold Hochschule for Musik, Germany
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2001Phil WilsonProfessor, Berklee College of Music
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2002Joseph AlessiPrincipal Trombonist, New York Philharmonic
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2003Ben van DijkBass Trombonist, Rotterdam Philharmonic
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2004Jay FriedmanPrincipal Trombonist, Chicago Symphony
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2005Ron BarronFormer Principal Trombonist, Boston Symphony
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2006Don Lusher*British Jazz Trombone Artist
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2007Michel BecquetFrench Solo Trombonist & Professor, Conservatoire de Lyon
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2008Dick NashLos Angeles Recording Artist
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2009Steve WolfinbargerProfessor, Western Michigan University
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2010Gustav HoenaProfessor, Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Hungary
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2011Ralph SauerFormer Principal Trombonist, Los Angeles Philharmonic
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2012Per BrevigFormer Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York
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2013Ian BousfieldBritish Trombone Soloist, Professor Hochschule Bern, former principal trombone London Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic.
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2014Douglas YeoFormer Professor, Arizona State University. Former bass trombonist, Boston Symphony Orchestra
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2015Bart van LierFormer Principal Trombone, Metropole Orkest, the Netherlands
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2016David TaylorBass Trombone, New York City
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2017Wycliffe GordonInternational Jazz artist
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2018Alain TrudelInternational Trombone Soloist
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2019Michael MulcahyChicago Symphony Orchestra
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2020Megumi KandaPrincipal Trombone, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra,
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2021Charles VernonBass Trombone, Chicago Symphony Orchestra,
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2022Carol JarvisTrombone soloist, London, U.K.
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2023Jörgen van RijenPrincipal Trombone, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam
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2024John FedchockNew York Jazz artist
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2025Don LucasAssociate Professor Boston University School of Music