Joseph W. Hermann is a leading American wind band conductor and educator and is currently Director of Bands and Professor of Music at

Tennessee Technological University Tennessee Technological University (commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech) is a Public university, public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of D ...

Cookeville, Tennessee Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's Cookeville micropolitan area, mic ...

. He is also the current President of the

American Bandmasters Association The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music.Raoul F. Camus. "American Bandmasters Association." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/sub ...

Biography

Hermann received his undergraduate and master's degrees from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

, where he studied under Don Marcoullier. At Drake, Herman experienced frequent theoretical study by returning guest lecturer

Vincent Persichetti Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (June 6, 1915 – August 14, 1987) was an American composer, teacher, and pianist. An important musical educator and writer, he was known for his integration of various new ideas in musical composition into his own work ...

. As a young clarinetist, he played principal clarinet in

Karl King Karl L. King (February 21, 1891 – March 31, 1971) was a United States march music bandmaster and composer. He is best known as the composer of " Barnum and Bailey's Favorite". Early life Karl Lawrence King was born in the village of Painte ...

's band in

Fort Dodge Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Ce ...

, Iowa. Hermann also studied and interacted with legendary conductors

Sir Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...

and John Paynter. Hermann also studied with

Václav Nelhýbel Václav Nelhýbel (September 24, 1919 – March 22, 1996) was a Czech-American composer, mainly of works for student performers. Life and career Nelhýbel was born the youngest of five children in , Ostrava, Czechoslovakia. He received h ...

, with whom he remained close to until Nelhýbel's death, and John Boyd, who worked with Hermann while transcribing the music of

Karel Husa Karel Husa (August 7, 1921 – December 14, 2016) was a Czech-born classical composer and conductor, winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Music and 1993 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. In 1954, he emigrated to ...

for wind band. In college, Hermann became a Brother of

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (legally Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha, PMA, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for men with a special interest ...

. After college, Hermann taught secondary school, directing the Dowling High School Band in West Des Moines,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, and supervising the Des Moines Catholic Instrumental Music Program for the Diocese of

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

. Under his leadership, the school music program grew to unprecedented enrollment. In addition, he served as the Educational Director for

Bands of America Bands of America (BOA) is a music education advocacy organization and promoter of high school marching band competitions in the United States. Established in 1975 as Marching Bands of America (MBA), founder Larry McCormick's goal was to provide e ...

and McCormick’s Enterprises, a music corporation in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. His college teaching positions include Director of Bands at

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

, Associate Director of Bands and the Director of

the Pride of Arizona The Pride of Arizona (PoA) is the marching band and pep band at the University of Arizona. The band was founded in 1902 as the UA ROTC Band and contained 12 members. The band is well-known for their performance at Super Bowl I and the Inaugura ...

Marching Band at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, an Assistant Director of Bands and a Director of the Marching Hundred at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, where he became an Honorary member of

Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (, colloquially referred to as KKPsi) is an honorary Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for school band, college and university band members in the United States. It was founded on November ...

. One of Hermann's students at Indiana was a young Richard Saucedo. He has appeared in over thirty states,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and other places around the world.

Tennessee Tech

In 1989, Hermann became the director of bands at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN. At Tech, he directs and oversees a comprehensive program that includes the University Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band as well as directing the Tennessee

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

Boy's State The American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs for high school juniors, which focus on exploring the mechanics of American government and politics. The programs are sponsored ...

Band for thirteen years. Since coming to Tech, Hermann increased the band's exposure, conducting the Tech bands for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

broadcasts, director resource CDs, and taking the bands to various conferences, including the 2008 ABA convention and the 1994 CBDNA convention. Hermann and the Tech Symphony band are responsible for numerous commissioned compositions from award-winning composers including

Donald Grantham Donald Grantham (born November 9, 1947) is an American composer and music educator. Grantham was born in Duncan, Oklahoma. After receiving a Bachelor of Music from the University of Oklahoma, he went on to receive his MM and DMA from the Universi ...

, Robert Jager, Greg Danner,

Thomas Sleeper Thomas M. Sleeper (February 16, 1956 – October 15, 2022) was an American composer and conductor. He was the Orchestra Conductor at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida from 1985 to 1993, and Director of Orchestral Activities and Conductor of t ...

, and

Rodney Waschka II Rodney Waschka II is an American composer known for his algorithmic compositions and his theatrical works. Biography Waschka studied at Brooklyn College, at the Institute of Sonology, then newly part of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and ...

. Composers such as Adam Gorb, Robert W. Smith,

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...

, James Barnes,

Mark Camphouse Mark Camphouse (born 1954 in Oak Park, Illinois) is an American composer and conductor who has written primarily for symphonic band, but whose output also includes works for orchestra, choir and chamber brass. A product of the rich, cultural l ...

, John Zdechlik,

Jared Spears Jared Tozier Spears (born August 15, 1936) is an American composer and music teacher. Biography Spears was born in Chicago, Illinois. Spears attended the Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois and earned his Bachelor of Science in ...

Eric Ewazen Eric Ewazen (; born March 1, 1954, Cleveland, Ohio) is an American composer and teacher. Biography Ewazen studied composition under Samuel Adler, Milton Babbitt, Gunther Schuller, Joseph Schwantner, Warren Benson, and Eugene Kurtz at the Eastm ...

James Curnow James Curnow (born 17 April 1943) is a composer of music for concert bands, brass bands, vocal and instrumental solos and ensembles. Curnow has also written arrangements of music pieces such as Trumpet Voluntary. He has taught at both public sc ...

, Elliot Del Borgo and Leroy Osmon have also visited and had residencies with the Tech band. Hermann's tenure at Tech has cemented him as a music educator of note, with many of his former students teaching and conducting in every facet of the wind band community. Hermann is also frequently published in journals and research documents concerning the entire scope of wind studies. Hermann and the TTU bands record frequently and are recording a CD of new music published by C. Alan Publications, which includes music by Greg Danner and Elliot Del Borgo. Hermann also oversees Tennessee Tech's annual Festival of Winds and Percussion that has featured guest conductors including Thomas Lee, Kenneth Bloomquist, Thomas Fraschillo, James Keene, James Croft, Frank Wickes, Stanley Michalski, Alan Bonner, John Bourgeois, and

Harry Begian Dr. Harry Begian (1921-2010) was an American band director, composer and arranger. Begian taught at both the secondary and collegiate level during his career. Early life Begian was born in Michigan to Armenian immigrants on April 24, 1921. The i ...

. Hermann and the Symphony Band have also appeared with guest soloists including Joseph Alessi, Joseph Skillen, Tim Northcut, Phillip Barham, Kelly Thomas, Bryce Edwards, and the Boston Brass.

American bandmaster

In 1996, in recognition of outstanding service and achievements to music, Herman was elected into the American Bandmasters Association. As an ABA member, Hermann has served on various committees, overseen commissioning projects, and served on the Board of Directors. In 2007, Hermann was named Vice-President of the ABA, and in 2008 became the President-Elect. He assumed the Presidency during the ABA convention March 4–8 in

College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States, situated in East-Central Texas in the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin, ...

, succeeding Robert Jorgenson.

Honors and awards

In addition to the ABA, Hermann is a member of CBDNA, MENC, NBA, the Tennessee Bandmasters Association, has served as the editor for the New Music Reviews for the Tennessee Musician, and is a past board member of the Tennessee Music Educators Association. He is a member of

Phi Beta Mu Phi Beta Mu, International Bandmasters' Fraternity (), is an international honorary fraternity for band directors. It was founded in 1939 in Texas. History The idea for Phi Beta Mu originated with Earl D. Irons, bandmaster and chairman of fine ...

, a past President of the

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

Band Directors Association, a past Province Governor for

, and holds honorary memberships in

and

Tau Beta Sigma Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority (, colloquially referred to as TBSigma or TBS) is a co-educational recognition and service sorority for collegiate band members. The sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Santa Fe Depot in Still ...

. In 2008, Herman received the Kappa Kappa Psi

Distinguished Service to Music Medal The Distinguished Service to Music Medal is an award presented by Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity in the United States. It is awarded to people who have contributed to the advancement of the wind band "as a cultural, musical a ...

honoring leaders in wind studies. In 2009, Jeremy S. Martin, composer/arranger for the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

and TTU alumnus, composed a Suite for Band in honor of Mr. Hermann's twenty years as director of the Tech band program.

Personal life

Hermann is married and has two children. He resides in Cookeville. He is good friends with renown Tech tuba professor

R. Winston Morris Ralph Winston Morris (born January 19, 1941, in Barnwell, South Carolina) is an American tubist. He served as professor of tuba and euphonium at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee, for 55 years, and subsequent to his retirement after the 20 ...

as well as conductors David Waybright of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, William J. Moody of the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

, and W.J. Julian, former Director of Bands at Tennessee Tech and the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

Discography

"America's Millennium Tribute to Adolphe Sax Volume XII". Tucson: Arizona University Recordings (AUR 3129), 2007. *Summer Concerto by

Performed with the Tennessee Tech Wind Ensemble, Phillip Barham, soloist. "Slide Ride: Works for Solo Trombone and Band" Mark Masters (6055 MCD), 2005 *Performed with the Tennessee Tech Symphony Band, Joshua Hauser, soloist. "Tennessee Tech Pride" Mark Masters (4371 MCD), 2003 *Performed with the Tennessee Tech Symphony Band, Tim Northcut, soloist. "Discovery: Emerging and Celebrated Repertoire for Solo Saxophone and Band Volume I". Mark Masters (3918 MCD), 2002. *Performed with the Tennessee Tech Symphony Band, James Spinazolla, soloist. "Band Music of Distinction Volume V". Daehn Publications (DP1527) *Walls of Zion by Greg Danner Performed with the Tennessee Tech Symphony Band "Jupiter". Independent through Tennessee Tech. 1995 *Performed with the Tennessee Tech Symphony Band. Frank Wickes, guest conductor. "The Waters of Myth". Independent through Tennessee Tech. 1994 Recorded at the 1994 CBDNA convention at the Ohio State University. *Performed with the Tennessee Tech Symphony Band,

Ray Cramer Ray E. Cramer (born 28 June 1940) is an American band conductor. Education Cramer has degrees from Western Illinois University and the University of Iowa. In December 1991, he received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma mater o ...

, guest conductor,

Steven Mead Steven Mead (born 26 February 1962 in Bournemouth, England) is an English virtuoso euphonium soloist and teacher. Biography Mead has played an important role in achieving worldwide recognition of the instrument. He has played solo concertos wit ...

, guest soloist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermann, Joseph Drake University alumni University of Arizona faculty Indiana University faculty Living people American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) University and college band directors People from Fort Dodge, Iowa Distinguished Service to Music Medal recipients Year of birth missing (living people)