FWIW, @iasetter, my son ended up at U. of Puget Sound and the music scene is very much meeting his expectations so far (he says his orchestra is terrific). He’s also finding his classes challenging and the quality of the instruction high, and is really enjoying his overall experience there. But there’s no denying that UPS is not nearly as selective or well known as places like Williams or Vassar.
I’ll also second St. Olaf, which was one of his final contenders. The music is really top-notch, and the academics are very strong as well. In the end, cultural fit and strength in his academic area of interest tipped the scale to UPS, but if he’d been selecting on the basis of music alone, St. Olaf might well have carried the day. Also, I don’t know if it’s a consideration for you or not, but places like St. Olaf and UPS offer good merit aid to strong academic candidates, whereas the NESCAC schools don’t provide any merit money at all.