PMO Spring Show

TICKETS:

Purchase tickets over the phone, call (765) 494-3933 Monday - Friday, 10 am - 6 pm.
Tickets will also be available for walk-up sales the night of the concert beginning one hour prior to the concert's start time.

Sunday, April 21, 2024   |  4:00pm

Long Center for the Performing Arts - Mars Theatre
111 N Sixth St, Lafayette, IN  47901

Walk-up sales at 3pm
House Doors open at 3:30pm
Curtain at 4pm

*Please note the Long Center is a historic venue. There is no elevator to the balcony section.*

Purdue Musical Organizations - Spring Show:

All-Campus and Community Chorale History

Following in the tradition of offering something for everyone and aiming to involve as many individuals as possible within the structure of Purdue Musical Organizations, the All-Campus & Community Chorale (also known as AC3) was started in 2003.

Although other choral music opportunities certainly exist within the Greater Lafayette area, sponsoring a choral ensemble through PMO that provides a place for current and past students – as well as staff and faculty of Purdue and community members at large – to sing has proven to generate much interest.

A wide variety of ages, backgrounds, professions, major areas of study and musical experiences can be found among the 50-60 strong members of this ensemble. Rehearsing one evening per week, AC3 provides a manageable time commitment for participants, while still presenting the possibility of participation in a portion of the Purdue Christmas Show.

Typically, this choir is a combination of students and community members, and they sing a variety of repertoire: everything from Renaissance motets to nonsense songs to Broadway tunes, music from around the world, different cultures and musical styles. 

Heart & Soul History

The fall semester of 2004 saw the addition of another vocal ensemble to the Purdue Musical Organizations roster. Heart & Soul, a mixed-voice ensemble featuring 25-30 singers and instrumental accompaniment, primarily celebrates gospel, sacred, and inspirational music, while incorporating jazz, pop, Latin and R&B selections, to broaden the repertoire for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Representing a cross-section of multi-cultural and musical backgrounds, the members of Heart & Soul encompass undergraduate and graduate students alike, with majors ranging from nursing and engineering to education and science.

Under the initial direction of Purdue Varsity Glee Club alum Derrick Williams, Heart & Soul premiered as part of Homecoming festivities in 2004 and began a rich and varied performance schedule as part of PMO. In their first year alone, they were featured performers for the President’s Council, (then) Governor Mitch Daniels's Prayer Breakfast, Purdue Jazz on Indianapolis Circle, and appeared on the Channel 18 (WLFI) Morning News. In 2005, Heart & Soul made their first appearance as part of the annual Purdue Christmas Show, performing Quincy Jones’s version of the Hallelujah Chorus. It was a smash hit and the beginning of a new tradition, with many listing Heart & Soul’s performance as a program highlight.

Upon the departure of Derrick Williams in 2008, Jon Ranard assumed leadership responsibilities for Heart & Soul. The ensemble continued to participate in the Purdue Christmas Show as a featured group but began exclusively utilizing only talents from its own membership roster, further establishing its lasting presence and contributions within the Purdue Musical Organizations family. Jermaine Hill began directing Heart & Soul in the fall of 2013.

Today, Heart & Soul continues to serve as ambassadors for PMO and Purdue University, with appearances at alumni and university functions, private and community events, school convocations and assemblies, and worship services. In addition, soloists and small specialty groups from Heart & Soul have also been featured in performances with other PMO ensembles and as sole representatives for PMO, including singing the National Anthem for the Indiana Pacers, the Class of 1958 celebration in Neil Armstrong Hall and the Indiana State Fair.

Purdue Bells History

Organized in September 1979, the Purdue Bells ring a five-octave set of Whitechapel handbells, a five-octave set of Schulmerich handbells and a five-octave set of Malmark choir chimes with an additional lower octave for performances.

Purdue Bells has represented Purdue on tours of Florida and New York, as well as throughout the state of Indiana. In 1995, the ensemble was honored to perform for the Indiana Musical Educators’ Association and Music Educators’ National Conference North Central Convention. The group was also invited to perform at the first-ever Pinnacle 2000 handbell convention held in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

In 2013, Purdue Bells embarked on a two-week international performance tour of Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland, along with members of the Purduettes and Purdue Varsity Glee Club.

In 2016, Purdue Bells was honored to give the opening concert for Area 5 Handbell Musicians of America Spring Festival/Conference in Dayton, OH.

In 2019, Purdue Bells performed an international performance tour of the United Kingdom along with the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. The enthusiasm of each full-time student and their love for performing has made Purdue Bells a unique instrumental complement to the vocal ensembles of PMO.

University Choir History

Shortly after the founding of Purdue Musical Organizations in 1933, director Al Stewart sensed a need to involve as many students as possible. Thus, the Purdue Concert Choir was formed, a mixed-voice ensemble similar to those found at other colleges and universities. Before long, the Concert Choir had developed a following and became a featured part of special programs for University functions and alumni groups.

The Concert Choir continued to see steady growth, spawning a larger ensemble that was renamed the University Choir. It grew to more than 300 members by the early 1970s. In an effort to reduce the size, membership was limited to 66 voices through a rigorous audition process. To accommodate newly interested singers and those displaced by the University Choir audition, the Choral Club (a second soprano-alto group) was formed.

The group disbanded for a time but was brought back in the late 2000s. Under the current direction of Jeff Vallier, University Choir features 70 enthusiastic and capable musicians performing at some of the most beautiful and resonant venues throughout Indiana and the Midwest. Group members are eligible to audition for the PMO Chamber Choir, a specialty ensemble.

For more information:  https://www.purdue.edu/pmo/

Livestream details available exclusively to PMOBroadcasting.com subscribers.