Conor Emser is a senior at Ohio University. He was born in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and eventually moved to Westlake, Ohio, which he now calls home. He is majoring in Communication Studies, specifically Organizational Communication & Public Advocacy. Emser is the President of the Singing Men of Ohio. He is also the Tour Guide Coordinator for Undergraduate Admissions. He’s also been an Orientation Leader, a Learning Community Leader and a Resident Assistant here on campus. He even won this year’s HOUmecoming King!
The Singing Men of Ohio (also known as “SMO”) is an ensemble on campus made up of 80 male students. SMO is both a performing ensemble and a student organization, filled with service projects and social activities. Emser happens to be the President and sings in the acapella group Section Eight.
“SMO has been so much more than just a class or student organization for me here on campus,” Emser said. “Every year SMO changes and evolves but what links our current members to our past alumni and even to our future members is the idea of brotherhood and finding unity in singing together — you can’t find that anywhere else.”
Emser first saw the Singing Men of Ohio perform in his hometown when he was only a sophomore in high school, and from there it was always in the back of his mind that he wanted to join a men’s choir when he came to college. A few years later, SMO actually became the deciding factor as to why Emser chose OU, and it was actually the first college “class” he ever attended.
Now, the singing is an important part of the club, but The Singing Men of Ohio prides itself on being entirely student-run. “We have a 10 member executive board that does everything from publicity, to T-shirt designs, to teaching music, to organizing our annual cross-country performance tour.” Emser said. “Joining an organization like SMO allows you to grow in more ways than one — and the leadership opportunities we have really shape that experience.”
SMO meets Mondays / Wednesdays / Fridays at 11:50. a.m, so you can simply register for SMO just like you would for any other class, and on the first day you audition with the director, Dr. Daniel J Hall. To find out more about The Singing Men of Ohio, contact 440-241-8329 or email singingmenofohio@gmail.com!