Purdue Musical Organizations members to sing at USS Indiana commissioning ceremony

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Members of Purdue Musical Organizations will perform at the commissioning ceremony for the USS Indiana this weekend. The nuclear-powered submarine, the third Navy ship named after the state, is considered one of the most powerful warships on Earth.

Represented by six students and two associate directors, PMO is the only Indiana university musical organization to participate in the ceremony. Members will perform at Friday night’s (Sept. 28) reception and Saturday’s commissioning ceremony at Port Canaveral. Their performance will feature the “Navy Hymn,” the “Star-Spangled Banner,” “Back Home Again in Indiana” and other selections commemorating Indiana.

The Purdue contingent will be joined by Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, and will fly on a university plane landing on the airstrip once used by the Space Shuttle. The group will get a private tour of the submarine prior to their performance. Chiang will present a set of photographs commemorating Purdue’s place in the country’s space exploration program to the ship’s crew.  Those photographs will be permanently displayed on the USS Indiana.

Media wishing to follow the group’s travels can receive updates on the Purdue Musical Organization’s Twitter page and may use images and video as long as a courtesy/credit is given to Purdue PMO. 

Writer: Tim Doty, 765-494-2080, doty2@purdue.edu   

Source: Colton Withers, 765-586-5210, cwither@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Media may contact Colton Withers 765-586-5210 for interviews.