Click here to watch "The Journey Begins"
Sinfonia was born on October 6, 1898 at the New England Conservatory in Boston, when a group of thirteen young men under the guidance of Ossian Everett Mills met to consider the social life of the young men students of that institution and to devise ways and means by which it might be improved. Mills, bursar of the Conservatory, sought to create an Order in which men with a shared love of music could develop the virtues of manhood in themselves and in their fellows.
Ossian Everett Mills
Sinfonia became a national fraternity on October 6, 1900, with the admission of a group of men at the Broad Street Conservatory in Philadelphia. Since that time Sinfonia has grown into the largest music fraternity in the world, with more than 150,000 initiates, and chapters on over 200 college and university campuses across the nation.
Sinfonians share a love of music that unites them as brothers with a common interest. The Fraternity teaches men to develop themselves and their art, not for the sake of art itself, but as a means of enriching the lives of others. Through a multitude of chapter, provincial, and national events, Sinfonia offers unlimited opportunities for performance, community music outreach, and other activities designed to develop a true appreciation for the power of music to uplift the soul.
** The preceding excerpts were taken directly from the
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonias National Website.
To learn more about our national history, please visit this site.
Chapter History
The Omicron Pi Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia came into being during the spring of 1966. On February 25, 1966, an application for charter was completed, with Dr. Burton Karson as the Faculty Advisor and Richard Polley as the Chapter President. On March 21 of the same year, Dr. Karson received a momentous telegram from Sinfonia's National Secretary/Treasurer, ensuring the activation of OMICRON PI at California State University, Fullerton.
The Formal Initiation of the chapter into the Fraternity was held on May 1, 1966. This initiation included the Alpha Class, nineteen student members, and honorary members Daniel Lewis and founding president of CSUF William B. Langsdorf.
Throughout more than four decades of existence, the Omicron Pi Chapter has created, sponsored, and supported events that both serve the community and promote music and its importance in education. Some of these events include sponsored concerts featuring several guest artists, the American Music Solo Competition, countless recitals featuring both Active and Faculty Sinfonians, regular Mills Music Missions (community outreach), the establishment of scholarships, and currently successful Wind Ensemble and Jazz Festivals.
Serenading a patient at St. Jude Heritage Medical Center on a Mills Music Mission
The Omicron Pi Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is in Province 22 (Southern California), along with Epsilon Omicron at San Diego State University, Delta Pi at The University of Redlands and Kappa Omicron at CSU Long Beach. Additionally, Province 22 is proud to have a new colony at UNLV and an interest group at UCSD. The Province Governor of Province 22 is Bincins Garcia, Alumnus from Omicron Pi.