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"It all began with a man.. who had a vision, and an undying love for music" 1898 Phi Mu Alpha began with an invitation to a "get-acquainted" reception extended from the "Old Boys" to the "New Boys" at Boston's New England Conservatory early in the fall of 1898. A spontaneous discussion about forming a men's music club took place among some of the men who attended the reception and, there being a considerable interest in the idea, a meeting was planned for the evening of October 6, 1898 to further explore the possibilities. A similar desire for fellowship among musicians had earlier lead Ossian E. Mills, then bursar of the conservatory to invite a group of males students to meet informally with him once a week. It is safe to suppose that some of these men were present at the gathering on October 6 and that through them, Mills influenced the adoption of high ideals of brotherhood by Phi Mu Alpha even before its official beginnings. The minutes of the first meeting on October 6, 1898 describe the appointment of a "committee on rules and regulations," which was to prepare a set of bylaws for the ew organization. On October 25, 1898 the club's 13 active and one honorary member (Ossian E. Mills) accepted from a committee a governing document which has remained the Fraternity's philosophy of existence to the present day. In part it read: "The object of this Fraternity shall be for the development of the best and truest fraternal spirit; the mutual welfare and brotherhood of musical students; the advancement of music in America and loyalty to the Alma Mater..." The club also accepted the suggestion of the newly-elected director of the conservatory (and the Fraternity's second honorary member), George W. Chadwick that the group adopt the name of an organization of wich he had been a member of during his student days in Leipzig. SINFONIA was born. Since that time, more than 100,000 brothers have been initiated into Phi Mu Alpha at over 400 chapters world-wide. |
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| Ossain E. Mills |
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