Founded

October 6, 1898 at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts by Ossian Everett Mills (February 6 1856 – December 26, 1920)

Membership Information

• Nearly 500 chapters chartered since 1898.

• Over 250 active chapters and 20 active alumni associations.

• 7,000 active collegiate members with over 180,000 lifetime initiates.

SINFONIA

“Sinfonia” (Sinfonia Club) - Although the tangible symbols of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia were adopted within the first decade of the Fraternity's existence, one of the most meaningful of its insignia was bestowed on the fledgling society at the very beginning, when George Chadwick suggested the name "Sinfonia" for the newly formed club at the New England Conservatory in the autumn of 1898.

Colors*

In February of 1900, the Sinfonia Club (Alpha Chapter) members decided to adopt official stationery and appointed a committee, chaired by Ossian E. Mills, to design it. At the meeting of February 26, the committee asked the membership to choose club colors to decorate the letterhead. The choice of color occasioned a surprising amount of discussion, for the club was not able to come to a decision until two meetings later, on March 7, when red and black were chosen as the Sinfonia's colors. The colors of Red & Black were officially adopted at the first Convention in 1901, with the color gold later officially incorporated with the adoption of the Coat of Arms in 1910.

• Renaissance Red (PMS 187)

• Sinfonia Black (PMS Black)

• Broad Street Gold (PMA 872)

*Read Sinfonia’s Visual Standards Manual for more information.

National Philanthropy

- The Ossian Everett Mills Music Mission

“Each one must make a supreme personal endeavor to elevate others to the place where they may enjoy all that is true, beautiful, and abiding. Our rights, our duties, our responsibilities, our interests, and our thoughts must be mutually helpful. This was the spirit of thoughtfulness to others even at the expense of his own time, effort, and strength, which found expression in our beloved first president.”

Phi Mu Alpha's national philanthropy is the Ossian Everett Mills Music Mission. Created in 1998, the Mills Music Mission is a modern-day revival of a practice originated by the fraternity's founder, Ossian Everett Mills, in the late 19th century. Mills was organizer of a "Flower Mission" in Boston in which musicians and assistants would go to Boston's hospitals on Christmas and Easter to sing, play music, and give recitations. The activity was referred to as the "Flower Mission" because prior to going to the hospitals the participants would collect flowers from churches after the morning services and distribute them to the patients they visited. The Mills Music Mission was adopted as Phi Mu Alpha official national philanthropy in 2003. The focus of this project is rare among fraternity philanthropies since, instead of raising funds to support a selected charity, the fraternity uses the unique talents and interests of its members to personally interact with and lift the spirits of those in need.

National Publications