Fraternity News
“Songs of the Season” Step Sing at Midwest Clinic
The Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic is one of the largest and most prestigious music conferences in the country. Each December in Chicago, IL thousands of musicians and educators come together for a variety of purposes. Phi Mu Alpha has had a formal presence at Midwest since 1992, and have staffed an exhibition booth every year since 2003. This booth allows us to connect with hundreds of alumni each year, many of whom have not been active in the Fraternity for many years.
This year, for the first time, Sinfonia is proud to announce that we’ll be having a step sing for brothers at the event! All Sinfonians are invited to join us as we sing songs of the season, as well as a few Sinfonian favorites.
A similar step sing happens each year at the Texas Music Educators’ Association Conference, and it has grown to well over 500 brothers in recent years. We hope to start a similar tradition at the Midwest Clinic.
The step sing will occur on Thursday, December 19 at 4:30pm. It will take place directly outside the exhibition hall at the conference. No registration is necessary to access this area, so local brothers are welcome to attend even if you’re not attending the larger conference. The music will last roughly 30 minutes. Please direct questions about the Clinic or step sing to Mark Wilson at wilson@sinfonia.org.
New Sinfonia Store Website Launches
As part of the overhaul of the entire Sinfonia.org website, a task currently being undertaken that includes numerous new and exciting features, we’re pleased to unveil Phase II of this new website with a completely revamped Sinfonia Store (Phase I was the Online Chapter Reporting that debuted this fall semester). The store features a new, more streamlined layout, new items, and mobile compatibility.
Among the new items available are custom engraved items by Brother Benjamin Kosberg, Xi Tau (Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville). These items, which will include medallions, wooden pens, and a coat-of-arms shields, are individually hand-crafted by Sinfonian, for Sinfonians.
Other new items will continue to be rolled out in the coming months, many of which have been requested by members of the brotherhood. You can make your own suggestions by heading to the website and filling out our suggestions survey (located at the bottom of the main page).
www.sinfoniastore.org for new items, clearance items, and special offers. We want the Sinfonia Store to be a hub for all of your Sinfonian shopping, one that continues to meet and exceed the needs of our members. Please let us know what you think of the new site, and what we can do to improve!
Sinfonia Composition Contest
The Phi Mu Alpha Composition Contest, originally featured in the August 2013 Resonance, features a $5,000 prize and is open to any American citizen. We’d like to encourage all interested composers to enter, in what is a spectacular opportunity to advance music in America while being recognized for your talents.
To read the rules of the contest click the link below. And stay tuned for new announcements on the contest in the coming months!
http://www.sinfonia.org/news/SN-2013-02-04.asp
Burrell Anniversary
March 22, 2014 will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Brother Percy Jewett Burrell, and the 10th anniversary of the Fraternity’s placement of a commemorative marker at Burrell’s gravesite in Watertown, MA. More information will be forthcoming as plans to mark this anniversary and honor Brother Burrell’s significant and lasting contributions to Sinfonia are developed and finalized. Mark your calendars, brothers, and expect further announcements in upcoming publications.