Celebrating John Philip Sousa in South Dakota

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts in April hosted 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.

Supported by an NEH Celebrate America! grant, the "Sousa in South Dakota" symposium featured presentations by scholars, historians, students and archivists exploring Sousa’s remarkable impact on American music and national culture. Historic displays from the Sousa era were also on display at the university's Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.

Leading scholars from across the country presented new research on Sousa’s musical, cultural and political impact. The symposium also highlighted the March King's ties to South Dakota and Brookings — including his two sold-out 1928 concerts in Brookings, his interaction with the South Dakota State College band downtown as he stepped off the train and the historic Collegian interview conducted during that visit.

Symposium attendees were able to take part in a unique Brookings-based experience led by SDSU professor Jacob Wallace: a narrated bus tour retracing Sousa’s 1928 visit. Participants stopped at key sites of Sousa's visit, heard original newspaper accounts, and saw how Sousa’s presence shaped Brookings.