Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia - Mu Gamma Chapter

Ram Band to March in Rome New Year’s Parade The Angelo State University Ram Band has been officially invited to participate and perform in the 2024 Rome New Year’s Parade and Festival in Rome, Ita...

Happy Chapter Day!
Going strong since 1978 for 44 years.

Today is Sinfonia’s “Founder’s Day” – the 124th anniversary of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the world’s oldest and largest music fraternity, founded in 1898.

In 1898, Ossian Mills founded the Sinfonia Club at the conservatory, which was destined very soon to become Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America. He was elected an honorary member of the club at its first meeting on October 6, 1898.

Often referred to as the “Father of the Sinfonia,” Mills had been a familiar figure at annual conventions until his last years when his work would not permit his leaving Boston. He served the Fraternity as Supreme President from 1901-1902 and 1904-1905 and was elected “Honorary Grand Supreme President for Life” in 1904.

In 1954, former Supreme President Percy Burrell recalled his long friendship with Mills. He noted above all Mills’ humility and the fact that Mills became somewhat uncomfortable when given recognition as having “planted a seed in the hearts of some young men studying music at the New England Conservatory in Boston back in 1898, that had blossomed forth into a national brotherhood that year after year had been making its impress throughout the country…” Burrell wrote further: “I can still see what seemed to be a wistful yet joyous expression on his face whenever this thought was expressed in his presence.”

Ossian Mills died from pneumonia at his home in Wellesley, Massachusetts on December 26, 1920. He had been ill for only a few days, and “his death came as a great shock to his associates and assistants to all of whom was familiar the story of the great service which he rendered in the earlier years of the school” and which he “unremittingly continued” during his later years. He is buried in the family plot of a small, wooded cemetery in Thompson, Connecticut.

May we continue to honor Ossian’s vision.

Happy Founder’s Day, Brothers!

Sinfonia Celebrates 124 Years – Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Sinfonia Celebrates 124 Years Phi Mu Alpha Founder’s Day 2022 On October 6, 1898, our beloved Sinfonia was founded at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Since then, we have grown to nearly 126,000 living members and 231 chapters. Today, we have a greater knowledge of o...

We mourn the loss of Brother Henry Rives who sounded the Final Chord at the young age of 29.

Henry graduated from Clarksville High School in 2010 and attended Austin Peay State University where he was a music major, a member of the Governor’s Own Marching Band (GOMB). In 2011, he was initiated into Phi Mu Alpha by the Theta Tau Chapter.

Henry loved his music and played any instrument with ease. He passed along his love of music by teaching lessons to aspiring musicians of all ages. He was a member of several bands in Clarksville and Nashville and never turned down an opportunity to jam with his music family–and he really felt they were his family.

Henry was also very active in scouting and was an Eagle Scout with Troop 365 in Sango and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He loved the outdoors and you could usually hear the sound of him playing bagpipes, guitar, banjo, or saxophone rolling across the Cumberland River.

Our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.

Rest in Peace, Brother.

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ASUs own Dr.Posada! We are very excited for him and this opportunity!

Dr. Eric Posada (Zeta Sigma Chapter - 1998), the Director of Choral Activities at Angelo State University, will be joining our growing list of faculty for this summer's National Convention.

Brother Posada is a vibrant and diverse conductor, choral educator, and mentor. He is the founder of the Rio Grande Valley’s first professional chorus, Pasión, and is the ensemble’s Artistic Director.

Register for National Convention today at www.sinfoniaconvention.org
Early Registration ends April 1, 2022.

Dr. John Schmidt (Gamma Phi Chapter - 1984) will be performing a special recital as part of our 57th National Convention taking place this summer in St. Louis, Missouri.

Brothers will have the opportunity to hear great works composed by our fellow Sinfonians played on the organ at Third Baptist Church on Sunday, July 24, 2022.

Register for National Convention today at www.sinfoniaconvention.org
Early Registration ends March 1, 2022.

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of our beloved founder Ossian E. Mills, who was born in 1856.

“Let us, you and I, for the sake of our brother man, individually strive by example and influence to lift the standard of thought and conduct from the low level of selfishness and self-indulgence up to the lofty realms of aspirational thought and self-denial.” – Ossian E. Mills

Happy Birthday, Brother Mills!

Today marks the beginning of our 2022 Black History Month celebration. Each day, throughout the month of February, we will be diving into historical figures, today’s leaders, and snippets of HBCU chapter legacies. We hope that you join us in celebrating the diversity, heritage, and richness of our Fraternity.

Phi Mu Alpha, by nature, is uniquely steeped in American history. Our black Brothers have made incredible contributions in every corner of it. Although we will recognize only a handful of Brothers throughout the month, countless others have shaped and transformed our history and culture into what it is today.

In 1976, The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" toured the United States a year after opening on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre. Brother Kenneth "Kamal" Scott (Pi Eta - Morgan State University - 2013) replaced Andre DeShields in the leading role during the tour and remained with the company until 1979. It was not the first or the last time that Scott would be a part of a performance that would shake the foundations of the art form.

Brother Scott was born into a musical family - his mother performed as a big band vocalist, and his father sang the role of Porgy in the opera "Porgy and Bess" opposite Leontyne Price and Cab Calloway. It was only natural that Scott would stand on the shoulders of what he called his "famous, talented family" to do something great of his own. In his later career, Scott explored teaching the art of bel canto singing, giving a recital at Merkin Hall at the Lincoln Center in October 2004, and joining the faculty at Mannes College of Music as a vocal instructor. He later taught at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music as well as Morgan State University as Artist in Residence since August 2012. Scott was initiated into Phi Mu Alpha in the Spring of 2013.

In an effort to share the journey of "how a little boy from Roxbury lived his dream," Brother Scott began the project "Slidin' On A Rainbow: Claiming My Pot of Gold in Good Times and Bad" -- a memoir in the making. Scott was sadly diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and sounded the Final Chord on February 1, 2015. The legacy that he leaves behind is a testament to the impact music can have on a child filled with dreams and what love can be spread by sharing that dream with others.