University of Notre Dame alumnus Paul Popiel, D.M.A., will return to his alma mater to lead the oldest continuously operating collegiate band in the country as Kenn and Pamela Ricci Director of Bands. In this role, Popiel will oversee the University鈥檚 band program through the , and serve as a faculty member in the through the . His appointment begins July 1.
Since 2023, Popiel has served as the dean of the 91视频 of Music at the University of Kansas (KU), where he led efforts to better align academic goals with university initiatives and actively pursued the integration of emerging technology into course curricula. Previously, Popiel worked at KU for 13 years as a professor of music and director of bands. He also served as an assistant director of bands and senior lecturer at Indiana University and as an assistant professor and associate director of bands at Oklahoma State University.
鈥淔or more than 20 years, Paul has worked to build collegiate music programs that value tradition and excellence, and that encourage innovation and leadership among students,鈥� said , vice president for student affairs. 鈥淚 look forward to Paul returning to Notre Dame to share his gifts with our students and our historic band program.鈥�
At Notre Dame, Popiel succeeds a legacy of leadership, including longtime band director ., who will formally retire at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.
Popiel will direct the entirety of the band program, which includes the Band of the Fighting Irish, athletic bands, concert bands and jazz bands, and features more than 500 students from every academic discipline. The all-volunteer organization provides music for a variety of University events throughout the academic year, including liturgies, sporting events and the annual Commencement Ceremony.
鈥淧aul Popiel will bring a distinguished record of pedagogical excellence, dedicated mentorship and a spirit of artistic collaboration to the growing performance program of the Notre Dame Department of Music,鈥� said , the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. 鈥淲e are pleased to welcome him back to his alma mater in this important role.鈥�
鈥淩eturning to Notre Dame is a profound homecoming to a place that shaped my vocation and values,鈥� Popiel said. 鈥淚 am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve an institution with such a rich musical and educational tradition, and I look forward to leading a band program whose legacy continues to inspire through artistic excellence, thoughtful engagement with the world and the formation of students as musicians, leaders and servants of the common good.鈥�
Popiel earned his master鈥檚 degree in trumpet performance from the University of Notre Dame and bachelor鈥檚 degrees in instrumental music education and trumpet performance from Truman State University. He holds a doctorate in musical arts in wind conducting from Michigan State University and an arts diploma in 20th Century Music from the University of Bristol, where he served as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the American Bandmasters Association.
To learn more about the Notre Dame Band, visit .