Sigma Alpha Iota

2 Fall 2024 • sai-national.org D ear Members of Sigma Alpha Iota, Welcome to a new fraternity year. It is hard to believe it, but in less than a year we will meet in Minneapolis, MN for our 51st National Convention. Our conventions are hard to describe in words, as they are something that must be experienced. There is no easy way to convey the awe in seeing our initiation ritual being performed on a national stage, the chills you get from a front row seat to several amazing performances, the nerves that appear when you meet someone new, the warmth you feel when you reconnect with someone you haven't seen in years, that moment of inspiration you take home from a workshop or keynote speaker, the emotion elicited by singing with hundreds of fellow members. Each convention has its own personality. Therefore, while you may have attended an SAI convention before, this one will prove to be unique in its own right with a side of the familiar. Check out the "Peek at the Week" section of this issue for a high-level overview of the agenda. Some highlights to point out are the IAMA Concert featuring premiers from both the winning composition and our composer-judges; the Philanthropies Benefit Concert with our own Honorary Member, Rachel Barton Pine; elections for national, regional, and province officers; the many opportunities to obtain more SAI swag; and tons of amazing music! So, please accept this heartfelt invitation from me to you to attend our 51st National Convention, themed "United in Music," in Minneapolis, MN from July 17–21, 2025. This fall is also a time for us to recognize and celebrate our national award nominees and winners from the previous fraternity year. Each national award winner displayed leadership, creativity, and tenacity on behalf of the fraternity in their respective roles. Please take a moment to read about their accomplishments and perhaps become motivated to start a new initiative or improve upon an existing program. Reading about all that our fraternity is accomplishing on campuses and in communities around the country energizes us to do more in the name of SAI. This issue of PAN PIPES also acknowledges SAI Philanthropies Awards from this past year. I'm always amazed at the number of different grants and scholarships made available to our members. Some of them continue to be underutilized. So, if you are looking for a way to contribute financially to your undergraduate or graduate music degree program or a way to enhance your chapter's impact or outreach on a particular program, please investigate the annual and triennial opportunities SAI Philanthropies has to offer. As I close out my greeting for this issue, I want to acknowledge all those who have been affected by natural disasters this fall. The loss of life, damage to property, and severe economic conditions have touched us all. We know the impact on our members, our chapters, and our own National Headquarters has been drastic and the influence this will have on our physical and mental well-being will sustain for a while. However, the growth and resilience we will gain from this experience will continue to unite us, just like music does. Much SAI Love, Jessica Chichester, National President A WORD FROM THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT CIRCLE OF PEARLS $5,000 – $9,999 CIRCLE OF RUBIES $10,000 – $24,999 CIRCLE OF DIAMONDS $25,000 – $49,000 CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE $50,000 and above INTRODUCING DONOR CIRCLES Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. is thrilled to introduce our living donor recognition program. This is a prestigious initiative that honors the dedication of individuals who have made significant contributions to advance the mission of our fraternity's charity. The program consists of four distinct recognition levels: These circles represent not only the depth of gratitude we hold for our donors but also the profound impact their contributions have on influential musical endeavors on our campuses, in our communities, and around the world.

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