When I reflect on the past two years and all that we’ve endured together, I am in awe of our students’ resilience in the face of adversity. Now more than ever, I’m so proud to say that our PMO students continue to exhibit that persistent Boilermaker spirit as we face new challenges brought on by the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

As these new variants throw us one curve ball after another, I am pleased — but not entirely surprised — to find that the number of students interested in performing with PMO continues to grow. Better still, since we transitioned our audition process to be entirely virtual in the spring of 2020, our musical directors are continually impressed by the caliber of talented students who want to join our PMO family.

Even after everything this season of life has thrown at us, one thing is abundantly clear: nothing — not even a once-in-a-century global pandemic — can stop our organization from growing.

After nearly two years, our students are looking forward to hitting the road again this spring. Three of our ensembles are preparing to embark on spring break tours around the country. The Purdue Bells, the Purduettes, and the Purdue Varsity Glee Club will travel to Ohio, Hawaii, Florida and New York, respectively. Be sure to follow along with their travels on social media next month!

We have several exciting collaborations coming up for University Choir, including a combined concert with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, while Heart & Soul prepares for their first overnight performance in March. Of course, nothing caps off the semester better than our end-of-the-year concert series in April.

Another exciting update we’re looking forward to sharing with our online audience is the opportunity to view these annual performances from the comfort of your couch by subscribing to PMOBroadcasting.com. Our students continue to tell me how thrilled they are that their out-of-state relatives will be able to tune in for these final performances — some for the first time. We hope you get the chance to attend a performance in person or to tune in online from wherever you call home.

If you find yourself back on campus, we encourage you to stop by Bailey Hall to sit in on a rehearsal and to see for yourself the wonderful work our students and staff are doing. Whether in West Lafayette or on the road, I look forward to seeing you in the audience again soon!

As always, I am ever grateful for your continued support of this amazing organization, which I am humbled to lead.

BOILER UP AND HAIL PURDUE!

William E. Griffel

Albert P. Stewart Director of Purdue Musical Organizations

Jack Calhoun Director of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club