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Chapter News
 Chapter
brothers to perform in all three national fraternity ensembles
In mid-July, three chapter brothers will set out to Orlando, Florida,
to rehearse and perform in all of the ensembles at the Phi Mu Alpha
Sinfonia 2009 National Convention. Brother Greg Cobb (Theta Upsilon,
’08) will be playing the drums for the Convention’s
Jazz Band, led by Jim Ketch (Alpha Rho, ’78), and with the
sit-in playing of Jamey Aebersold (Gamma Tau, ’68). Brother
Mark Helmstetter (Theta Upsilon, ’03) will be playing the
euphonium in the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Wind Ensemble, which will
be conducted by Dr. Bobby Adams (Theta Pi, ’61), with one
piece guest conducted by Dr. Frank Ticheli, who has been selected
by the fraternity to be a national honorary member, to be initiated
at Convention. Brother Andrew Owen (Theta Upsilon, ’06) will
be singing bass in the Men of Song Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National
Men’s Chorus, under the baton of Dr. Dennis Shrock (Zeta Tau,
’63). [Read
more...]
 Chapter
takes a retreat to Lyrecrest
For the first time in many years, the chapter visited Lyrecrest,
the fraternity's national headquarters in Evansville, Indiana, for
a weekend retreat on April 3-5. The caravan of about 23 people
left Cleveland at about 4:00 p.m. and arrived in Evansville after
midnight. The chapter ate breakfast and, with the assistance
of the fraternity retreat coordinator, Will Lambert, did some brotherhood-building
exercises, along with some leadership development exercises.
Throughout the retreat, the chapter made copies of all old archived
chapter files, from the petition to become a chapter in 1960 to
the chapter reports of the current millennium, filling out years
of formerly lost chapter information. Saturday evening, National
Vice President John A. Mongiovi spoke for about four hours about
the message of the ritual and the philosophy of the fraternity.
The chapter very much enjoyed the retreat, getting to know each
other even better, speaking with the foremost authority on the ritual,
eating together, and visiting each other, miles away from the responsibilities
of their lives. [Read
more...]
 Chapter
does its second mass Mills Music Mission
Over the weekend of March 21, the chapter participated in a large
Mills Music Mission around the Northwest Mississippi region, including
Southaven, Hernando, Memphis, Batesville, and Grenada. The
Mills Music Mission is a philanthropy where brothers go to hospitals
and retirement homes to sing and spread the joy of music with those
who need it most. Similar to the Mills Music Mission of the
previous year, the chapter did not just sing in one place, but in
several. The chapter spent from an hour to an hour and
a half in each facility, singing and visiting the residents.
The mission was a very emotionally powerful experience, showing
the brothers firsthand the power of music on the human spirit.
Many brothers admitted that it was the most moving musical experience
of their lives. The Mills Music Mission will continue to be a beloved
activity of the chapter, and it hopes that the mission brought as
much joy to the residents as it did to the chapter. [Read
more...]
 Harmony
Ball leads to a Sinfonian proposal
On Friday, February 27, 2009, the chapter held its formal, called
the Harmony Ball, at Stafford's on Main in Drew, Mississippi.
The party's entertainment was Brandi Lyle Ward, who kept the evening
very enjoyable and inviting. The formal was open to the members
and dates of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Mu Phi Epsilon. Those
who attended the party enjoyed either a delicious shrimp alfredo,
a well-prepared country fried steak, or a scrumptious vegetarian
dish. The appetizer was a plate of fried green tomatoes, and
the dessert was a rich bread pudding. Near the end of the
evening, Brother Joe Raymond proposed to Miss Amanda Gill with the
chapter singing a special version of the Phi Mu Alpha Serenade to
a Girl. It proved to be a very memorable night for all who
attended. [Read
more...]
 Brother
Bill Clark is presented with the Orpheus Award
During Delta State's 2009 Honor Band program on January 31, 2009,
Brother Bill Clark (Theta Upsilon, 1972) was awarded the Orpheus
Award, a very high honor in the fraternity, for having made a lasting
impact on the music of America. Brother Clark was the director
of bands at Delta State University during the 1970s, and since then
has been a guest clinician many times across the country.
Brother Joe Raymond said during the presentation that "he is
a true example of the advancement of music in America, through his
tenure as director of bands at Delta State, and across the country
in other schools and clinics, shaping young minds and really pushing
people to become great musicians." Designed as a local-level
counterpart of the National Citation, the Orpheus Award was first
presented in 1973 to Will B. Green by Mu Omega Chapter. Since then
it has been awarded about three hundred times.
[Read more...]
 Chapter
attends 2009 Province 24 Workshop
On the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Province 24, which
includes all the chapters of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia that are in Mississippi,
held the 2009 Province Workshop. It was held at Mississippi
State University's new fine arts building. The Theta Upsilon
chapter sent twenty-three brothers to the event. The highlight
of the workshop was the presentation by the national chair of the
Province Governor Council, Mark Lichtenberg. The province
used this workshop to elect a Collegiate Province Representative
(CPR), Assistant CPRs, and Province Fraternity Education Officer.
It elected Brother Coday Anthony of Theta Upsilon as the Province
Fraternity Education Officer. The chapter enjoyed attending the
event and looks forward to the next Province Workshop.
[Read more...]
 Chapter
hosts Haunted House at the old Skene High School
On the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday around Halloween 2008, the
chapter hosted its annual Haunted House fundraiser at the old Skene
High School (also called Old Bayou Academy) at Skene, Mississippi.
The theme centered around a medical research facility and was sponsored
by Domino's Pizza and Red Bull. The fundraiser was very successful
for the chapter, and proved to be a good diversion for several hundred
people throughout Bolivar County, Mississippi. It was also
very successful in building strong bonds of brotherhood among those
who worked in the Haunted House to make it successful. The
Haunted House proved to be a great experience for learning the importance
of leadership and good positive interactions with others to work
toward a common goal. The entire experience was a meaningful
one to all the volunteers and brothers, and the experience from
the haunted house itself was one of good frights and chills.
The chapter looks forward to planning next year's haunted house
at Skene's old high school building. [Read
more...]
 Chapter
probationary class hosts dunking booth
On Tuesday, October 7, 2008, the probationary class hosted
a dunking booth fundraiser on the Delta State University Quadrangle.
Several balls were thrown, and a few landed perfectly on the target
in order to dunk several excited volunteers, such as Brothers John
Wojcik and Chris Hartfield. The event was very successful
in terms of getting the letters out in the open and having a lot
of fun on an otherwise dreary day. Everyone involved seemed
to have a very good time on the quad that day, dunking their professors
and classmates. It was a great experience for the probationary
members, learning through direct application how to spearhead an
event like this and make it come out successfully. [Read
more...]
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