Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia - Epsilon Iota

Brother Ryan Speedo Green, Epsilon Iota (Florida State) '09, or simply Speedo to his friends, has been selected as one of five winners in the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, which were held on March 13 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.  Over 1,500 vocalists entered the competition, and each of the winners received a prize of $15,000.  This, however, is secondary to the true prize, that of the notoriety and opportunity that comes with such a prestigious honor.  "To be one of the winners of this distinguished competition was not only a dream of mine that became a reality but also has greatly changed the path my career would have taken otherwise," Green said.  We talked to Green to see where that path has led him since the competition, and to reflect on Sinfonia's influence in his life and art.

To hear Green speak of his experience with opera is to hear of a transformational journey.  "I had no idea what opera was...and a generous mentor of mine sent me to New York City to see an opera at the Metropolitan Opera," Green relates. "It was the first I had seen.  The production was of the Georges Bizet opera Carmen with Placido Domingo and Denise Graves.  Needless to say, it changed my life."  The power of music imprinted itself upon him and gave him a life's goal.  "I experienced every emotion on the chart ," Green says, "sadness, happiness, anger, and fear.  I laughed and cried throughout.  I left the opera that night and talked to my voice teacher...and told him I wanted to be an opera singer."  It has been just over 10 years since Green's first experience at the Metropolitan Opera, and his return there was in a much different capacity.  Being selected as a finalist gave Green the opportunity to perform at the Met, and being selected as one of the winners will take him even further.  This summer he will be performing in the Met in the Parks Summer Recital Series.  He will also be performing the role of Il Commendatore in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni.  And in summer 2012, he will be performing at the Central City Opera as Colline in Giacomo Puccini's La Bohemè.

Much like many of us, during Speedo's graduate studies he discovered a profoundly supportive and exciting chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at Florida State.  The group's brotherhood and love of music helped him through the often lonely and burdensome task of being a music major who is devoted to nothing but music.  "I delved into my work studies so much but felt I was lacking something," Green says.  "I ended up living with two brothers who, despite not being music majors, seemed to know and love so much about music and were interested in everything I was performing at Florida State University."  This culminated in Green being invited to and accepted into the Epsilon Iota Chapter there at Florida State.  "I bonded with every guy there," he remembers fondly, "and it seemed like they all understood my love for music despite coming from very different backgrounds."  These bonds helped to provide the strength Green needed to pursue his goals and remain in music. 

The affection he holds for both his chapter and Sinfonia as a whole is evident in simply speaking to him, and it is something he carries with him in all of his musical endeavors.  "I strive to be the best musician I can be while being the best man I can be," Green says.  "These ideals started in the Phi Mu Alpha pledge process and continued into my career and my everyday life."

In this, we see echoed the "manly musician and musicianly man" so often alluded to in our Fraternity writings and goals.  A dedication to one's brothers and one's art can and does b