AC3 performing during Fall Show 2023 at Long Center for the Performing Arts

Words ~ Erin Wilson /// Photo ~ Kelsey Bates

When alumni make their way back to West Lafayette, it is easy to point out the changes. There are new buildings that crop up or new places to visit. However, something PMO alumni have in common is the desire to find a community like the one they had during their time at Purdue. the All-Campus & Community Chorale (AC3) has become a home for many in the community, but especially the alumni who couldn’t help but come back for more music.

Onyx Uzomah was surprised to find PMO. When pursuing her master’s degree at Purdue, she wanted to find an outlet to keep singing. A friend had convinced her to try out for choir, so she auditioned for Heart and Soul. During her time with the group, she was struck by the community she found and how close she was with her fellow ensemble members. She notes how PMO is a community that is unlike others in that there is a “bond that went beyond just seeing each other at rehearsals. If someone’s feeling discouraged, we can say, No, we’re gonna encourage you, we’ll celebrate you because you’re about to give your best for this performance or this rehearsal.”

In a similar vein, fellow AC3 member Don Brothers noted how connected he felt to his fellow members in the Purdue Varsity Glee Club when he participated under the direction of Al Stewart - “We were all in the same boat together.”

The nature of this strong community from time spent in PMO had them yearning for something similar in their post-graduate years. When some alumni made their way back to the area, the discovery of AC3 was quite a blessing. There was something special about coming back to the place that provided these alumni with amazing experiences and memories. Leslie Brost, a Purduette alumna, recalled a time when she met up with other former PMO members and they ended up in one of the rehearsal rooms of Elliott Hall of Music.

“We did a lot of talking...somebody mentioned a song and somebody started singing it and all of a sudden, everybody was singing it, because once you learn the song, it stays with you,” Brost said. “And so we sat up there, and I know we sang for a good half hour, just people would think of a song that we used to sing, and we all started singing. It was very fun...[and] just so special to be able to sing with the girls again.”

It is memories like these that had alumni coming back to PMO, and AC3 has provided them with a community to continue this comradery.

AC3 has been a growing choir and community since its inception and that has allowed community members and alumni alike to join to make music. Leslie was greatly impacted by PMO and how it was “so much a part of [her] college experience,” so she is overjoyed to be joining her siblings in song through this avenue. Don has seen the group since the very beginning and notes how it “brought back memories of being in Elliott because we practiced in the same room.” Onyx is thrilled to be a part of PMO once again, and sees a bright future for AC3.

“I hope this is something PMO continues because it really helps with those connections. Alumni often go very far away,” Onyx said. “If you are able to be one of the lucky ones that stays around and is still capable to sing regularly with the group and participate in different activities, it’s a really cool blessing.”

AC3 establishes a supportive and motivated community much like those the alumni experienced during their pursuit of a degree and connects current students, alumni, and community members with a unique opportunity to create wonderful music.

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Special thanks to Onyx Uzomah for her guidance and help with this article.