Director of Bands

The University of Notre Dame has selected Paul Popiel as the next Director of Bands. He will assume his new role on July 1, 2026.

Since 2023, Popiel has served as the dean of the School 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. Prior to KU, he 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.

As a University of Notre Dame alumnus, Popiel will return to his alma mater to lead the oldest continuously operating collegiate band in the country. In this role, he will oversee the University’s band program through the Division of Student Affairs, and serve as a faculty member in the Department of Music through the College of Arts & Letters.

Popiel earned his master’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of Notre Dame and bachelor’s 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.

Claire Hennessey and Keith Mason led this search with Christina Errico.