September 4, 2008

New PMO director emphasizes collaboration, communication

"No fun without music, no music without fun." This sentiment is as true today for Bill Griffel, the new director of Purdue Musical Organizations, as it was decades ago for Al Stewart, PMO's first full-time director. The statement speaks to his goals of promoting a positive, lively, collaborative atmosphere within the PMO offices and expanding opportunities for students to contribute, perform and, of course, have a good time.

"PMO plays an incredibly important role at Purdue," he says. "PMO is the face of the University when we're outside of campus, and on campus we give the student body another avenue to rally around. To be the head of a department of people who are passionate about what they do and to work with all of the dedicated students is a dream come true."

Griffel joined PMO on June 15 after serving as chairman of the visual and performing arts department and director of choral music at Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis.

He has heard a lot about Purdue and its traditions from his father, who graduated from the University in 1965. Griffel says he's interested in keeping those traditions alive at PMO while bringing a fresh perspective to the organization.

"I surely don't want to change those things that make PMO the outstanding organization that it is today, but as the new director, I obviously have ideas for the future," he says. "Nothing has been solidified yet, but there are ideas about how we can structure the organization, deal with scheduling and working with prospective clients, and handle other day-to-day tasks. I would really like to solidify the organization and reshape our vision of where we want to be in the next five or 10 years both organizationally and financially."

Input from PMO staff will be crucial in developing that vision. Griffel is in the midst of hiring an accompanist for Purduettes and the director of PMO Club Alumni & Donor Relations.

"Once everyone is in place, we can sit down and come up with collective PMO goals and vision," he says. "I want my staff to know that they have a hand in the direction we're going to go."

Plenty of communication and collaboration will be key this year in planning for the 75th anniversary of the Purdue Christmas Show, which Griffel promises to be a spectacular event.

"I'm taking in as much information as I can get to put together the music and start putting a schedule together," he says. "I'm also working on including our alumni. My goal is to reach out to those groups that maybe haven't seen much attention from PMO in a long time like the Homemaker Chorus and Rotary Club. I want to make sure that I'm visible and that they see that I'm serious about rekindling those relationships."

Closer on the calendar is the "First Nighter" concert on Aug. 29. The concert features the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, which Griffel directs.

Griffel says the students have made his transition an easy one, and he enjoys being able to draw inspiration from them.

"PMO shines because of the students it attracts," he says. "It's a purely voluntary organization and the students don't get academic credit. Their desire to learn and love of music drive them, and it's wonderful to work with a group like that."

Each year, approximately 150 students participate in PMO, which offers five ensembles. Griffel would like to increase that number by offering more performance opportunities.

"I'd like to expand the different groups within PMO to have more chances for students who don't want a large time commitment but still want to perform," he says. "It may not happen this year, but possibly once we have our first year under our belt."

In addition to helping more students pursue their passion to perform on campus, Griffel hopes to encourage them to continue singing after graduation -- a situation with which Griffel can identify.

As a performer, Griffel sang professionally with a number of groups including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Now as director, he continues to perform with the Kentucky Vocal Union Barbershop Chorus.

 "PMO is a place to feed the need for music in life," Griffel says. "I hope an experience at PMO will inspire graduates to continue to do something like this, whether they sing in the church choir or in a community chorus."

On the Web: www.pmojo.com

-- From the Aug. 28 edition of Inside Purdue.