Joseph Bandi, Jeffrey Warbinton, Christopher Wolford (left to right)
PMO is thrilled to welcome three new staff members to the team this fall.
Joseph Bandi | Accompanist & Assistant Choral Director for University Choir, Purduettes, Purduettes Specialty Groups, the Chamber Choir, and the All-Campus & Community Chorale
Joseph Bandi (Joe) joins us as Accompanist & Assistant Choral Director working with the Purduettes, University Choir, Purduettes Specialty Groups, the Chamber Choir,
and the All-Campus & Community Chorale.
Hailing from Pittsburgh, Joe holds degrees in piano performance and music education from Westminster College where he studied with Dr. Nancy Zipay DeSalvo. He spent five years teaching general music and choir to students in grades five through twelve where he had several award winning ensembles and individual students achieving state honors.
Moving to an entirely new state can be a challenge for anyone, but Joe felt accepted into the PMO family from the minute he stepped into Bailey Hall.
“Not only do I get to make music at an extremely high level every day, but I also feel so loved and appreciated by everyone in the organization,” Joe says. “The Purduettes even surprised me with a personalized song called “Fire Up” that they wrote and sang to me at camp.”
In addition to his work at PMO, he is currently working on his Master of Music in Choral Conducting at Youngstown State University under the tutelage of Dr. Hae-Jong Lee.
Jeffrey Warbinton | Director, Purdue Bells
Dr. Jeffrey Warbinton (Jeff) joins PMO as the new director of Purdue Bells. Jeff has been a musician in Central Indiana for over thirty years where he has played with and directed handbell groups for adults and children at two different Indianapolis churches since 1996. He has been Conductor of the Scottish Rite Orchestra in Indianapolis since 1994.
Jeff’s extensive experience with musical ensembles has allowed him the opportunity to work with many talented individuals over the years and those here at PMO have been no exception in his short time here.
“I am extremely pleased to be in PMO, and received a warm welcome from all I’ve met, both students and staff,” Jeff says. “The thing that has most impressed me is the willingness on the part of the students to take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the program, leaving the director time to focus on the music itself.”
In addition to conducting and performing, he has been actively composing and arranging music for a variety of groups—both instrumental and vocal—since 1985.
Christopher Wolford | Marketing & Communications Manager
Christopher Wolford joins us as our new Marketing and Communications Manager. He brings over ten years of marketing and communications experience to the PMO team and has worked with a variety of companies ranging from independent literary outlets to online education startups to the local Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.
“I’ve always tried to surround myself with music of all kinds, in both my personal and professional lives, so the opportunity to work alongside hundreds of talented performers has been a thrill,” Christopher says.
Christopher is a Purdue alumnus, having graduated in May 2022 with a M.S. in Computer Graphics Technology from the Purdue Polytechnic Institute.
In addition to his role at PMO, Christopher is an active member in the local Greater Lafayette community, helping out at the Historic Downtown Lafayette Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.